Prologue

The sea had frozen around a magical island called Neverland. And in the middle of Cannonball Cove floated the new Jolly Roger. The last ship had been sunken by an orange octopus. It's deck was covered with six inches of snow. And tied against the main
/mast was a boy dressed in mostly green. Snowflakes were collecting in his redish orange hair and on his green hat.

His fingers had gone numb and he struggled against the coarse rope that kept his hands behind his back. His lips were blue and chapped from being exposed to the cold, harsh wind. He had no coat, and was only wearing his famous, leafy, short sleeved shirt.

Yes, that boy was Peter Pan, and yes, he had been kidnapped. Captain Hook had sent some of his crew over to Peter's hideout, and they brought him back so he could finally meet his doom. Peter would've won the fight if he hadn't been sick. His throat ached,
/he had an extremely high fever, and no matter what, he could not stop coughing.

Being out in freezing temperature wasn't helping him feel better at all. Though he was shivering, he was on fire. Some snot had frozen onto his face. Hook had finally won. Peter knew he would need a miracle to come out of this alive.

The idea of dying frightened him. He began to wiggle his wrists again. He had to escape. His life depended on it. He kicked his feet, hoping to get the rope off of them, but to no avail.

Then, footsteps sounded across the ship. Peter froze and held his breath. There were two pairs of them. They were too light to be Hook's. Peter twisted his brow, confused as to who it be.

He soon found out who the footsteps belonged to-Hook's wife Emily and his daughter, Maria.

That was his miracle!

Peter sat up taller and tried to call out for Emily. "Emily!" His voice was so quiet that he couldn't even hear himself. His vocal chords were frozen. He sighed in frustration. "Emily," he tried again. That time attracted the attention of three year old
/Maria. She whipped her head around to find the source of the noice. Her blue eyes practically bulged out of her eyes. She quickly tugged on her mother's flannel pant leg until she looked down.

"What sweetie?" she asked nicely. Bending down with her hands on her knees, she smiled at her daughter.

"Peter," she responded softly.

"Huh?" Emily looked around confused until her gaze fixated on Peter. Her sparking, blue eyes also popped out of her head. She instantly ran over to the shivering boy and slid down onto her knees. Her brown, wavy hair flowed in the breeze as she couched
/down. "Peter, what happened?"

Peter leaned his head against the mast and took in a deep breath. "Hook captured me. Well, his crew did," he admitted. Though he didn't like to admit losses, he lost badly this time.

Emily cupped her head in her hands and let out a long aggravated sigh. "I'm going to kill him for doing this to you," she muttered. She looked back up at Peter and frowned. "How long have you been out here like this?"

"Five hours?" Peter lost track of time. All he knew was he was abducted at midnight.

"Oh my, you must be freezing! Here, let's get you untied." While she went to unknot the ropes, Peter began had an uncontrollable coughing fit. Emily finished freeing Peter's hand and went to his ankles. "Are you sick?" she asked.

"I don't get sick," Peter boasted. But then he sneezed right into his legs. Emily playfully raised an eyebrow and then giggled. "Fine, I'm sick."

She put the back of her hand on Peter's forehead and her face turned serious. "You're burning up!" She finally pushed the ropes off of Peter's ankles and stripped her purple coat off her body. "Put this on," she ordered.

Peter obeyed and then sank back against the mast, exhausted. Emily combed through Peter's hair with her fingers and kissed him gingerly on the head. "I'll be back in a minute. I'm going to grab some medicine for your fever. Maria, watch him for me, okay?"

"Okay!" Maria exclaimed.

Emily stood up and watched as Maria sat down next to Peter. "My two loves," she mumbled to herself before heading inside.

Peter crossed his arms and curled into a tight ball, trying to keep warm.

"You cold?" Maria asked. Her voice was so high pitched and soft. He smiled whenever he heard her.

"Yeah," Peter said. Maria then crawled onto Peter's lap and pulled him into a tight embrace. Peter relaxed and stroked her hair gently. "Thanks."

"Your welcome." She cuddled closer to him and rested her head on her chest. For a moment, Peter forgot all about his surroundings and just absorbed Maria's happiness.

Then, the beautiful moment was interrupted by footsteps. They did not belong to Emily's, though.

They were Hook's.

Peter tensed up with fear. He pushed Maria up by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. "You wanna play a game?" he asked quietly.

"What game?"

"Hide-and-seek."

"Sure!"

Peter glanced around nervously. "Alright. I'll count and you hide. Ready?"

Maria nodded and smiled with excitement.

"Okay, go!" Maria scurried away and began stumbling towards a barrel. "One, two-"

A blade suddenly threatened his neck. Hook's blade to be exact. The metal shimmered in the moonlight. "Good morning, boy," Hook greeted cheerfully. "Ready to die?"

Peter peered up at the two hateful eyes that stared down at him. "That's all you're going to do? Slit my throat? Wow. Very disappointing," Peter taunted. "I thought I would at least get to walk the plank."

"Oh, shut up!" He smoked his hook right into Peter's temple. Blood spouted from it and oozed down the side of his face. Peter grasped at his wound and let out a pained cry. "I've decided to make it simple. I don't want to take any chances." He pointed
/his sword back at Peter's throat. Then, he realized Peter was free! "How did you-?"

"Emily untied me." Peter interrupted.

Hook sighed. "I'm going to kill that woman."

"Funny! Emily said that she was going to kill you for kidnapping me!" Peter smirked and then went into another coughing fit.

A plump old man standing next to Hook looked upset. It was Mr. Smee. Though he always followed Hook's orders, Smee never actually wanted Peter killed. "You alright, Peter?"

Peter shook his head no. "I'm sick," Peter mumbled. "And tired." Peter looked back at his old enemy. His hair was cut short and neatly combed. Instead of his red coat, he had on a black leather coat with a red vest underneath. It was very edgy and modern.
/Peter figured that it was because emily never wore the traditional kind of pirate clothes, but he never actually knew for sure.

"Oh, well, that will make my life easy then!" He yanked Peter's coat collar, pulled Peter onto his feet, and slammed the boy against the tall, hard mast.

Peter whimpered from the pounding in his head. Hook smiled wickedly and wrapped his strong hand around Peter's neck, all while dragging his hook across his stomach. "I've been waiting to do this for a long time," he threatened. "Today will be the end
/of you, and no one will care or miss you."

Peter tried pulling Hook's hand away but was too weak. He kicked frantically and ended up stepped directly on Hook's foot.

Hook released Peter reluctantly to nurse his foot. "You insolent boy!" Hook roared.

"You know who would miss me? Emily and Maria," Peter rebutted.

Just then, Emily came barging through the door with some medicine in a measuring cup. "Okay, Peter. I have your medicine," she said. When she looked up, she found the whole crew surrounding the main mast. Instantly, she elbowed her way through the
/crowd only to find Hook and Peter face-to-face.

"Jim!"

Hook shoved Peter down to the metal grate and stepped on his back. Peter looked up desperately at Emily and coughed repeatedly. "Get off of him!" Emily ordered.

"No, Emily! I'm not letting get away this time," Hook shouted.

"He's sick! He can't fight back right now. He needs to be in bed, not laying in the snow."

"Exactly! It's perfect! I can beat him this time!"

Suddenly, a sharp object was inserted into Hook's shin. He wailed in pain and stepped of Peter, giving him a chance to stand up. Peter held out his now bloody knife and put it back in his belt. Emily wrapped her arms around him and brought him close to
/her. "Your head and stomach are bleeding," she stated. She pulled a clean hankie from her pocket and blotted the blood away. "Jim, how can you live with yourself, causing harm to a kid?"

"That kid cut off my hand and sunk my old ship! Not to mention all those times he's stolen my treasure." he growled.

"He didn't know what he was doing," Emily assured.

"He knew exactly what he was doing! And he should pay for what he did."

"He needs parents and love," she said softly. And with that, she kissed Peter on the head gingerly. "Let's get you out of here." She gazed at Peter's flushed cheeks and rubbed his arms. Peter leaned against her warm, comforting body and coughed.

Hook was boiling over with anger. He couldn't contain it any longer. he ripped Peter from Emily's arms and threw him to the ground, again. Peter grunted as he hit the snow covered deck. Balling up his fists, he managed to get on all fours, only to get
/kicked in the side. He collapsed back down, his body still.

"NO!" Emily screamed while lunging at Hook. Two pirates grabbed her arms and stopped her. Hook kicked Peter again and again in the stomach. Each time, a weak cry erupted from Peter's lips. "Stop it! You're hurting him!" Emily slammed her head into one
/of the pirate's heads and kicked the other in the shin. They both backed away, scared. She then launched herself at Hook, tackling him to the ground.

"Peter, go!"

Peter struggled onto his feet and held his stomach as he ran for the dock, which led off the ship and onto the beach.

"No! STOP HIM!"

Hook pushed Emily off of him and sat up to see all of his crew encircling his enemy. Peter skidded to a stop when five pirates formed a line, separating him from the exit. He turned around to find this was the case on all sides. If he hadn't been sick,
/he could've flown up and home. But since he was, he was grounded, literally.

All pirates held swords and they were pointed at him. They began closing in on the scared boy. Peter closed his lips and drew his knife, trying to put on a brace front. Not knowing how to get away, he glanced all over the circle. He was feeling lightheaded
/and knew he had to get some rest soon or he would collapse.

Hook walked into the ring and went straight into fighting. He swung his sword at Peter, but Peter dodged it and landed onto his knees. He felt a coughing fit coming on and balled his fists up, tired of having to fight. He looked up at his opponent and
/snarled. He jumped up to his feet only to get knocked off them. Hook smacked his hook into Peter's cheek, sending him back onto his knees.

Peter cradled his cheek and coughed into one of his fists. Hook smirked and put away his sword. "Why, would you look at that. It looks like I have the upper hook now, don't I?" Hook cackled. The crew cheered and pointed their cutlasses and the poor boy.
/Peter was defeated. No matter what he did, he couldn't win. He gripped his knife tightly and stood up, ready to die.

Just then, a hand grabbed at his wrist and yanked him away from Hook. Scared, Peter jabbed his dagger into the persons gut without hesitation.

A woman's whimper made him turn his head to see who it was.

Emily.

She released Peter's wrist and looked down at her bleeding stomach. Peter still was holding his dagger in her stomach. He quickly pulled it out, hoping to reverse what he had done.

Emily gazed up into Peter's brown eyes and then started to fall. Peter caught her under the arms and eased her onto the deck. She took in short shallow breaths and gripped the floor. Hook was wide-eyed and in shock.

Peter went numb to his surroundings and focused only on Emily. Frantically, he threw his knife aside and pulled his hat off. Then, he pressed on the gaping hole in her stomach to try to stop the bleeding. A single tear fell from Peter's eye. Then another,
/and another. He couldn't believe he did that to her.

Emily cupped her hand over Peter's cheek and rubbed it gingerly. She scooped Peter's hands with her other hand and smiled weakly. "Peter," she began.

"Oh, Emily, I'm so sorry," Peter sobbed. He covered his face with his hands and let the tears fall freely.

"Peter, listen to me. I need you to promise me something."

He lowered his hands a little.

"You have to keep Maria from turning into hook," she whispered. "Peter please promise me you'll try."

"I give you my word," he choked out through sobs.

"And promise me you'll take care of yourself."

Peter looked down at the hole in her stomach and out on a brave face for Emily. "I will."

Hook snatched Peter up and threw him across the ship. "Get off my ship!" he demanded with such authority that Peter crawled backwards in fear.

Maria peeped her head out from behind a barrel, and she slowly made her way to him and frowned. "You forgot me!" she whined.

Peter wiped away the tears and tried to act like everything was fine. "You hid so good, I couldn't find you!" he chuckled.

"Really?" she asked excited.

"Yep!" He reached out and tickled her stomach. She giggled and backed away to catch her breath. Hook was busy tending to Emily, who was getting worse and worse. Smee cautiously went over to the kids and gathered Maria up into her arms.

Peter looked up at Smee and instantly was overcome with the feeling of guilt. "C'mon, your mommy wants to see you," he said to the little girl. The he glanced at Peter, who was shaking nervously. "You too."

Peter stood up and walked along side Smee and crouched beside Emily again. Maria was place next to Peter, and instantly, she knew something was wrong. "Mommy?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"Maria, I'm sorry, but I have to go," Emily said softly.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere far away."

"When will you be back?"

"No." Maria tilted her head in confusion. "Don't worry, I'll be with you in your heart." Her voice was weak, and she struggled to breath. Peter hunched over sadly and wiped the tears away. "Take care of each other, okay?" she asked the two children.

They both nodded yes and hovered over the suffering woman. "Emily, please, you can't go," Peter urged. "I need you!" Hook scowled at the boy but forced himself not to focus on him.

Emily used the last bit of her strength to smile at him. "I love you," she whispered. And then, her eyes fluttered shut. Hook grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to shake the life back in her.

Nothing. Emily was dead.

Peter couldn't hear Hook's cries. Looking at Maria, he lost it and walked away. He couldn't conceal his emotion, nor did he try. Tears ran down his cheeks. He wiped them away as soon as they came. Then, he felt a hand on his back.

Peter turned to face Smee, who was holding a cup of medicine. "Here," he said while handing the cup over to Peter. "You probably should get out of here before Hook blows up."

Peter eyeballed his knife and bent down to pick it up. He nodded at Smee and then headed home.

Ever since that day, Peter followed through with his promise to Emily. He checked on Maria every night. He flew to her window and, when she had a nightmare, looked at the stars with her. He tried to keep her happy, but after she turned six, she became
/aggressive towards him. Hook had corrupted the sweet girl and turned her against Peter Pan.

Though he and Maria were not friends anymore, he always checked on her through her bedroom porthole. He would not give up on her; he would keep his word to Emily.

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there was a boy who never grew up. But this isn't his story; this is her story.

Born a pirate, Maria Hook lived on the Jolly Roger and was raised by her father, the infamous Captain Hook. Her mother had died when Maria was only three, leaving Hook to take care of her by himself. Her mother's death had always been a mystery to her.
Hook never talked about that day, and Maria never asked about it. She knew that it pained Hook too much just thinking about it.

As the years went by, Maria went to the Mainland for school. She met a little family in London named the Darlings, and they let her stay with them in their suburban house. There was a mother, father, and two sisters. Maria always felt that she could trust
the parents with almost anything, but she never told them who she really was.

Margaret, the mother, was the epitome of grace and loveliness. She looked very much her grandmother, Wendy. Her dazzling, blue eyes lit up when she told Peter Pan stories. Her light brown hair whipped around her shoulders as she ran around the nursery,
acting out fight scenes with her littlest one.

She worked from home as a writer. Her stories usually consisted of far away places that had pirates, Indians, mermaids, six boys dressed as animals, and a boy dressed in green. Neverland.

Maria would read her stories to try and figure out what Peter's weaknesses were, but she found none. Peter seemed like the perfect hero in Margaret's stories. Maria knew better, though. Peter had cut off her father's hand and made him miserable. Maria
wished that she could kill the boy for Hook. She tried so hard, but he was too fast for her. He also had an unfair advantage because he could fly. She had tried to learn but didn't have happy enough thoughts. That was the price of being a pirate.

Maria gazed up at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The walls were cream and the cold floors white. Her wavy, light brown hair flowed past her face and stopped at the middle of her back. The brown of her hair seemed to bring out the blue of her eyes,
her big eyes. Freckles decorated her ivory nose and cheeks. She smiled at herself and then glanced over at the girl standing next to her.

The girl had sandy blonde hair that ended at the shoulders. She also had big, blue eyes. She wiped some makeup of one side her face, revealing very few imperfections. She had rosy cheeks and a couple pimples on her forehead. She was fifteen years old,
though she acted like she was all grown up. It sort of got on Maria's nerves how she relied on makeup to feel pretty. She always was running late so she could finish her makeup. Her name was Sasha, and she was the oldest daughter of the family.

Maria looked to her other side to find a little girl standing beside her, brushing her teeth. Her green eyes could melt any heart, and all she wanted to do was play pirates. Maria taught her how to wield a foam sword. Alice was her real name, but she
preferred to be called Ally. She thought Alice was too girly.

Maria collected her hair and began braiding it; she hated having hair all over her face when she slept. While fingering for the right chunk, she took notice of the differences of their pajamas. Maria was in a pair of knit, red shorts and a black t-shirt
(her favorite colors). Sasha sashayed in her silk, pink nightgown and matching slippers. Ally wore an old, loved, oversized t-shirt. They couldn't have been more different, yet, they got along fairly well. Well, they got along when they weren't fighting-which
was often.

Sasha insisted that Ally grew up and couldn't stand when she rambled on and on about Peter Pan. To Sasha, it was all one big story. She didn't believe in fairies, flying, or magic. She only believed in logic, and makeup.

But to Ally, Peter Pan was real, and he was going to take her to Neverland. Margaret wouldn't lie to her. Plus, she was living, breathing proof that Peter Pan existed. He taught her how to fly and fight.

Maria, actually knowing the boy, got very frustrated when Sasha would tell Ally Neverland wasn't real. Maria knew better and always had to bite her tongue. If she did correct her, she had to cover it up saying she found it on the internet. Honestly, Maria
wished she could punch Sasha's lights out when they had their disputes.

"I'm really going to miss you," Sasha admitted while cleaning off the rest of her blush. She finally finished and then reached for her moisturizer.

No matter how much she got on her nerves, Maria knew she was the best friend she ever had. "I'll miss you, too," Maria replied nicely. "Both of you!" Hip-checking the little girl, she smiled and went back to braiding her hair.

Ally spat out her toothpaste and began rinsing her toothbrush. "Do you have to go?" she asked, hoping she would say no. "Mummy and Daddy wouldn't mind if you stayed!"

"Well, what about my dad? Don't you think he would miss me?" Maria chuckled.

"Yes, but couldn't you stay another night?" Ally stuck the toothbrush back in her mouth.

"Ally," Sasha interrupted, "she has to go home, even if we want her to stay." She smirked at Maria and took another look at herself in the mirror.

"Yeah. Besides, I'm sure my dad has something planned for us to do already." Maria knew that Hook always had a plan to kill the wretched boy that haunted his nightmares. She had a good feeling about this summer. She was going to make sure that Peter Pan
was dead by the time she had to go back to the Mainland.

"What do you think he's going to do?" Sasha asked curiously.

Maria had to think of something besides killing someone. "Um, I don't know. Maybe we'll have a picnic in the park." She knew that he would be excited to have her home, but she never expected a party.

"That would be nice!" Sasha said politely. "Now, I've never met your dad. Will we ever get to meet him?"

"God, I hope not," Maria mumbled under her breath.

"What?" Sasha furrowed her brows, confused.

"I don't know," Maria lied. There was no way they were ever going to meet Hook. "Maybe sometime soon!"

"Well, I would love to come over to your house this summer to have a sleepover!"

"You can't!" Maria shouted suddenly. Then, she cleared her throat and forced her voice back to normal. "My dad doesn't make much money, so we had to turn off the electricity." That was actually sort of true. They didn't have electricity on the Jolly Roger.
"Trust me, you wouldn't have fun there."

"Oh," Sasha muttered. She uncomfortably tucked some hair behind her ear and rocked back and forth on her feet. "I didn't know that."

"And don't forget, I'm coming to your sleepover in three weeks, so we'll see each other again." Maria leaned against the granite counter and tied a pony in her hair.

"You're right! We'll see each other very soon!" Sasha then yawned and stretched her arms. "I guess we should go to bed. We be got big day tomorrow!"

Ally jumped up and down, overjoyed. "I can't wait to be on our holiday!" she squealed. "I won't have to get up early, learn anything, and, best of all, I will get to play all day!"

Maria laughed at the jumping girl and headed for the nursery. The room had muted purple, striped walls and white carpet on the floor. It was a very peaceful place to be. Even though Maria's home was the Jolly Roger, she could actually get a good night's
sleep here. The pirates often stayed up late and drank a lot. They sometimes were so loud, she thought about asking Peter if she could stay the night at his hideout. Of course, she never followed through with it. Hook would have killed her if she
spent the night at Peter's. But the Darling household all went to bed at around the same time, so there was nothing to wake her up.

She glided over to her bed and pulled back the opaque, white curtains that hung at each side. Maria slept in John Darling's bed, but needed some privacy. Hiding who she really was from the family she lived with, while sharing a bedroom, meant she never
got to be herself. She climbed up on her bed and sat down. Then she pulled off her black, leather, fingerless gloves and set the on her night stand. She wore them all the time because of the hook tattoo on her left palm. Wearing them was the only
way she could keep her cover.

Margaret and Tom, Margaret's husband, came into the room. Margaret went directly to Ally to help her get comfortable. Tom, however, strolled over to Maria and sat down next to her. He was a tall man with green eyes and black hair. His chiseled face matched
his chiseled body. He had to be fit; he was a police man after all. "Excited for tomorrow?" he asked with his deep, but gentle, voice.

Tom slightly reminded Maria of Hook. He could be fierce one moment but calm the next. "Yep!" she answered. "Thanks again for letting me stay here so I can go to school."

"Maria, you don't have to thank us," he laughed. "You're family!" He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Get some good rest tonight, okay?"

She nodded, pulled the covers back, and climbed in, letting herself sink into the soft mattress. Tom tucked her in and sat back down. "Now, its only a half day tomorrow. Do you think you can avoid getting into trouble?" he asked, somewhat teasing her,
somewhat being serious. She did get into trouble a lot at school. Sometimes, she started it, but it usually involved the school bully.

"I'll try," she answered sincerely. She knew he cared about her, and she didn't want to disappoint him. But if Todd, the school bully, messed with her, she knew she would lose control and go all pirate on him.

He kissed her on the head and went over to Sasha's bed. Maria listened to their conversation until Margaret came over to her. "Goodnight," she cooed. Maria nuzzled her head into her pillow and allowed herself to drift to dreamland.

What began as a peaceful, happy dream, turned into a nightmare. Hook had been slaughtered. Peter, showing his wicked grin, hovered over the dead captain with a bloody dagger in his hand. Maria was helpless; her wrists were chained to the deck, and she
screamed in horror at the sight.

The scream attracted Peter and he slowly went over to her. Maria stiffened but lost her composure as Peter's dagger threatened her throat. "Hello, Maria," Peter spat.

"You killed him," Maria muttered.

"Wow. Great observation, Sherlock." Peter lowered his knife and cackled at his remark. "And guess what? I'm going to do the same to you." He picked up a lock of her hair and sniffed it.

"You killed my father!" Maria shouted, still in shock. She tried to run away, but the chains held strong.

"There's no use in trying to escape, pirate!" Peter assured. "You can't avoid your fate!" He grabbed a fist-full of her hair and yanked her head back. He then, ever so gently, slit her throat. Maria's world turned black, and with that, her eyes shot wide
open. She sat up and checked her surroundings.

No sign of Peter. Even though she knew she was unharmed, she felt her throat. It was fine. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Detangling herself from her blankets, she poked her head out of the curtains and saw it was three a.m. She
sighed and stood up, stretching her arms and yawning. Then she trudged over to the window and sat down on the window seat. Looking at the stars always made her feel calm, so that's exactly what she did. They were so bright, especially the second start
to the right. She glanced down at her tattoo and back up at the glowing star. "I'll be home soon, Dad," she whispered.

After a while, she fell back to sleep and slumped over on the window seat cushion.

Then, a boy dressed in green skidded to a stop in the air. He had finally reached his destination-the Darlings' home. He peered through the window to find Maria, the daughter of his worst enemy, sleeping on the window seat. The boy studied her and decided
it was safe to enter the room. He pushed open the window and stepped onto the seat.

Peter Pan looked around the room cautiously, making sure Nana, the dog that stripped him of his shadow, was not around. Luckily for him, there was no sign of the dog. He then crouched down next to the sleeping girl. Her mouth was gaping open and drool
dripping onto her arm. Peter quietly chuckled and scooped the girl into his arms. He carried her all the way to her bed and gently tucked her back in. "You know, you're going to have to stay in bed more often," he whispered. "It was one thing to carry
you across the room when your were five. But you're getting heavy."

After that, he checked on the other two girls and fixed Ally's blankets. Once he made sure every one was situated, he walked backwards to the window. He didn't look where he was going and tripped over a doll that was laying on the ground. He landed with
a loud thud. He heard a girl stir and zoomed out the window, taking his shadow with him. He forgot to close the window behind him because he was in a rush to get out. He heard a girl squeal with delight as he dove behind a tree. Poking his head out,
he gazed up at the window and saw a little girl searching frantically for him.

He sighed in relief and then started his journey back home.

Ally waited by the window the rest of the night, hoping Peter would come back. But when the sun began to rise, she knew it would be at least another night before she would finally meet her hero.

At six o'clock, every alarm clock in the nursery went off. Ally quickly turned her's off and raced over to Maria's bed. "Maria, wake up," she whispered.

Maria stirred slightly and then shot straight up. "How did I get back in my bed?" she asked, scratching her head while trying to come up with a logical solution.

"You weren't in your bed?" Ally questioned.

Maria rubbed her eyes and yawned. "I had a bad dream, so I looked at the stars to calm myself down. That's the last thing I remember."

"Well, I know how!" exclaimed Ally. "Peter Pan came last night!"

"He did?" Maria's eyes bulged out of her head. She threw back the covers and went over to the window.

Ally followed her and sat on the window seat. "Yeah! I didn't see him, but why else would the window be open?"

"Oh, God," Maria mumbled. She looked around the room to make sure there wasn't any traps, but all was clear. "So he carried me back bed? No, that doesn't make any sense!" Biting her fingernail, she made her way over to her bed and threw on some socks.

"Good morning, my loves!" Margaret announced as she opened the bedroom door! "Time to," she paused. "Oh! You are already up! You excited for today?" she laughed.

"Mummy, Peter Pan was here!" Ally shouted. "Look! The window's open!"

Margaret gasped. "Oh my goodness! It looks like he was here," she confirmed. "Did he take you to Neverland?"

"No," Ally said sadly. She was a little upset she missed him but knew he would come again. "Maybe next time," she smiled.

Maria dug through the drawers of her dresser and pulled out a black t-shirt with a skull and crossed bones on the and a red, plaid skirt to go with it. She also found some ripped up tights. Then she started for the bathroom.

Ally crawled up on Sasha's bed and began jumping and shouting to wake her up. "Sasha! Come on! Today's the last day of school! We have to get going!"

Sasha grumbled something and rolled onto her side. Not giving up, Ally flopped on top of her older sister. "Come on. The sky's awake! So I'm awake! So we have to play!" She giggled wildly.

Sasha slipped her eye pillow off her face so Ally could see her scowl. "Alice, are you ever going to grow up?" she quipped.

"I'm only six. I don't have to grow up yet!" Ally sat up and got down from the bed. "Oh, and I have proof that Peter Pan is real!"

"Alice, Peter Pan is not real. And nothing you say will change my mind."

"Oh, yeah? Well, why is the window open?" She put both hands on her hips defiantly.

"The wind could have opened it." Sasha pursed her lips and sat up lazily.

"He also carried Maria back to bed," she faltered.

Sasha laughed and crossed her arms. "Father could've checked on us at the night. Face it, Peter Pan is only a myth, and the sooner you except that, the sooner you'll have friends."

Ally froze. "Sasha!" Margaret scolded.

Sasha showed no emotion as Ally started to tear up. She walked over to her mother and cried into her pant leg. "Why are you so mean?" Ally sobbed.

Sasha's lips were partly open, shocked at the turn the conversation. "Why are you so sensitive?" she retorted.

"Sasha, apologize," Margaret ordered.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Sasha shouted.

"You just said she didn't have friends!"

"Well, she doesn't. I was just stating a fact!"

"Sasha," Maria interrupted, "just apologize."

"You're taking their side? Some friend you are!" Sasha got out of bed and stormed into the bathroom. Without hesitation, she locked it and quickly started her morning routine.

Maria, who had watched the whole argument unfold, pounded on the door. "Sasha, this isn't funny! Me and Ally need to get ready, too!" she shouted.

After waiting a long time, Maria crossed her arms stubbornly. Margaret was still trying to sooth Ally and failing miserably. "Hey, Ally, I don't really have any friends either. but you know who's my best friend?" she asked while sitting down on the floor
next to her.

"Who?" Ally asked, wiping the tears away.

"You." Maria tapped Ally on the nose playfully. "Now, since Sasha's taking up the bathroom, looks like we have to use the loo." She stood up with her clothes in her arms and headed over to Ally's dresser. She quickly got her school uniform out and piled
it on top of her clothes. Then she grabbed her gloves and the two kids headed down the stairs and into the tiny loo.

The walls were plain but bright. The white tiles were white and cold to stand on. Ally shoved herself into the corner of the room and began dressing herself. Maria slipped off her pajamas and shimmied into her clothes for the day. She was lucky; the state
school she went to didn't have uniforms, so she was able to wear her leather gloves there as well.

After they were dressed, Maria unbraided her hair, leaving it in loose waves. Ally combed through her tangled hair with her small fingers.

A knock on the door startled the two girls. "Yes?" Maria asked.

Margaret opened the door and let handed Maria two toothbrushes and toothpastes. "I was able to get these from Sasha," she explained.

"Oh, great! Thanks!" Maria stuck her's under the flowing water and then applied some toothpaste on it. While giving Ally her things, Maria stuck her toothbrush in her mouth and scrubbed her pearly whites. Ally did the same and they both spat at the same
time.

As the exited the loo, a scent of baking bread permeated through the air. They were drawn into the kitchen as if they were under a spell. In the toaster were two biscuits and the microwave had eggs heating up. Margaret was dumping some apple slices onto
three plates. When the microwave beeped, she quickly stirred up the eggs, added pepper, and threw them back into the microwave.

"Girls, go ahead and take a seat in the dining room," Margaret said while waiting for the the biscuits. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

Maria ushered Ally over to the table, where Tom was sitting and reading the morning paper. They exchanged pleasantries and then the food was delivered. Seeing that she only had fifteen minutes until they had to leave, Maria chugged her orange juice down
and devoured her food. After that, she ran up the stairs, needing to collect her textbooks and supplies. The one thing she never left home without was her pocket knife. She never knew when she would run into trouble, so she made sure she was always
prepared.

She shoved it into the waistband of her skirt and slipped her high-tops on. She could hear music playing from the bathroom which meant Sasha was still getting ready. Maria hesitated before going to the door and knocking softly. "Hey, Sasha?" Maria said,
trying to be as calm as possible. "We leave in ten minutes."

Sasha was sweeping blush across her cheeks when she heard Maria's voice. Rolling her eyes, she tapped her phone screen as increased the volume of her classical music. She then began dabbing lipgloss on.

Maria flung her hands up in the air in frustration. Boy, Sasha could really be annoying sometimes. "Listen, Sasha. I know you want Ally to grow up and not believe, but you do realize that she's six, right?" Maria heard her voice rising. She took in a
deep breath.

While fixing her headband, Sasha shouted, "I just don't get why you always side with Ally. I'm right! We all know those stories aren't real!"

Maria chuckled. "How do you know they aren't real? Have you ever been to Neverland?" She leaned against the locked door and crossed her arms.

Sasha unlocked the door and opened it, not knowing Maria would fall on top of her. "No! You know why? Because it doesn't exist!"

"Oh. My guess would've been that Peter thought you were too grown up and didn't want to take you," Maria stood back up and dusted off her shoulders. She glanced down at the blonde girl, smirking.

"Ha ha," Sasha sneered. She stood up as well. "In all reality, I am just trying to protect Ally. I don't want her to get bullied in school later on because she still believes."

Maria's face turned solemn. "I get it," she said. "But just try to lighten up on her a little, okay?"

Sasha stood there, looking upset. She nodded yes and then went back to the counter. Before long, Margaret was calling for the kids to come down and get out the door. Sasha grumbled something to the effect that she had not eaten. Then, she grabbed her
backpack and walked down the stairs with Maria.

The three children all got in the van, and Margaret plopped herself in the drivers seat. She dropped Ally off first at her school. They were running late, as usual, and Maria couldn't get another tardy without getting into serious trouble. So, instead
of having Margaret driving through the busy streets of London, she decided to walk.

Maria hopped out of the car. If she ran the entire way, she would be able to stop by her locker and drop of her books.

High-tailing it, Maria entered a dark alley way in between two tall buildings. The air felt hot and stifling. Maria slowed her pace to take in the surroundings. No matter how much she didn't like to admit it, she was scared. There was way to much trash
for the alley to be vacant and it smelled of fresh pee. Maria could almost taste it, and she came to a dead stop when she heard a crack.

"Hello?" she yelled, her voice shaking.

A sudden gust of wind nearly blew through the space. Maria gulped. She reached for her pocket knife instinctively and flipped the blade open.

Then, her world went dark. A sack had been thrown over her head and her hands were pinned to her low back. someone pushed her against the brick wall. Her cheek felt the coarse surface of the building through the sack. A sharp pain fled through her side,
making her cringe. Wondering who would have sliced her open like that, only one person came to mind.

Peter.

But before she could even turn to face him, she was thrown down to the concrete slab and

Sliced again on the thigh. She struggled to pull the sack off and her wrist was stomped on.

She had to get up, but was thrown into the dumpster before she even had the chance. The lid was shut. She laid in shock for a moment as she listened to the laughter of several boys.

Several boys? She thought it was Peter! This really made her head spin. Her side and thigh were bleeding and spilling onto rotting food and styrofoam cups. She managed to get the bag off her head and pushed up on the lid, allowing light to spill into
the bin. She forced it all the way up and sat up, frantically looking for who was going to get beaten up for this. She never even got a glimpse of who the attackers were. She swore to herself as she climbed out.

Knowing she didn't have time to waste, she began walking to school, picking up her pocket knife on the way. She didn't even realize she dropped it, but it all happened so fast.

Once she finally got to the school, she noticed that she was five minutes late to her first class. She sprinted to her class and bursted through the door. Most of the class looked up at her with judgmental faces.

"Miss Darling, you're late, again," her teacher scolded.

"I'm sorry, but-"

"No buts. Sit down." Maria followed her teachers orders and quickly stumbled to her seat with her head hung low.

The rest of the day didn't go much better. She knew she only about a third of the questions on the first test, tripped over an extended foot during lunch, and had a huge confrontation with the school bully after finding out he had made her late. At the
end of the school day, Maria was exhausted, and it was only one p.m.

The only thing that made her keep going was the fact that she would be back in Neverland soon. There were only a few hours left before she would be sailing the seas with her dad.