Author's Note: The original inspiration for this story came from the book but I have also drawn ideas from movies and the play of Peter Pan and a few original ideas. I'm not sure how regularly I will be posting, life and writer's block tend to work against me a lot. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan
Caroline stared out the window of the classroom, the young teacher would have preferred to eat her lunch alone but it would have been rude to turn down the invitation to eat with the other teachers in Miss Jones' room. Having all finished their meal the women had moved on to the latest gossip and talking about the pranks played on them by the more troublesome students and the great potential of the brighter ones. The talk about the students she would have been interested in, but the gossip bored Caroline too much to really pay attention. She just did not see the point of talking about every misfortune that befell the families of London. She absentmindedly fingered the lace on her quarter length sleeves watching birds fly high above the rooftops.
A twelve year old Caroline laughed in excitement as she spun around in circles high in the sky, letting the treetops tickle her bare feet as she glided over them. She could hear the ocean waves crash against the island's shore and the sweet smell of spring filled the air.
"Why, Miss Pan, what is that on your arm?" Miss Fulsom's crisp voice broke into Caroline's thoughts.
"What? Oh, you mean my scar?" She replied looking down to see she had accidentally moved the lace on her sleeve to reveal a long pink line that stretched across her outer arm, parallel with the end of the sleeve in the middle of her lower left arm.
The clang of metal as the two blades collided seemed louder when her own blade was part of its source; Caroline had to use both hands to steady her sword against the force as the terrifying man was putting his full strength into each blow. As she tried to focus on the fight and keep her balance on the rocking ship she almost forgot he had another weapon, until he raised his right arm and a flash of silver in the moonlight caught her eye. Caroline tried to dodge as he slashed at her but she was not fast enough. A scream of pain escaped Caroline as she stumbled backward and fell clutching her left arm trying to ease the searing pain of the wound.
"I was climbing a tree when I was twelve years old and fell; a branch caught my arm on the way down." After thirteen years of telling it, the lie had become too easy. It irritated Caroline that she had been forced to tell it so many times, she wanted to tell the truth, to show she had not forgotten Neverland; that she would always remember and believe in it. Still, as much as she wanted to tell the truth, she knew it was not an option, grown women did not talk about pirates and fairies and a boy who would not grow up unless they wanted the next bit of local gossip to be about them being sent to an insane asylum.
"Well, I'm sorry about the scar but you ought not to have been in a tree in the first place. It's no place for a young lady." Caroline sighed inwardly as she heard the scolding tone that the older woman's students were all too familiar with. The twenty five year old knew she really should have seen this coming but what other choice did she have? None of these women would believe the truth.
"Really Miss Fulsom, Miss Pan said she climbed the tree when she was a girl, it's not as if she did it yesterday." Miss Jones piped in. "Few children can resist a good climbing tree." Caroline gave the woman a grateful smile, being the oldest teacher in the school Miss Jones was well respected among the staff and so never hesitated to give her own opinion on any issue. Caroline and the other younger teachers never dared to talk back to Miss Fulsom the way Miss Jones did.
"That's exactly why I say children need to be raised with more discipline." Miss Fulsom replied. "They simply don't understand that adults know what is best for them and they refuse to listen and do as they are told so they end up getting themselves into trouble." Caroline relaxed as the conversation shifted to the speech she and the other teachers had heard many times before, Miss Fulsom always brought up the need for stricter rules whenever the students were allowed to go outside and the teachers took their lunch together. "Why, just this morning I had a girl who, instead of practicing her needlework, decided to draw a picture of herself in bed and a boy above her."
"My word!" Miss Smith gasped in horror, her hand flying to her heart. "Who could have thought of something like that?"
"Surely, you must be mistaken." Miss Wyght replied. "I hate to imagine such ideas in the heads of our own students!"
Caroline did not miss the eagerness behind the two women's feigned dismay, they both wanted to know the name of the student, whose family would no doubt soon be the topic of tomorrow's gossip.
"See for yourself if I'm mistaken." Miss Fulsom said pulling a piece of paper out of her bag and putting it in the center of the table. "I didn't want to keep the foul thing but I doubt the Darlings will believe it without proof. Parents never want to believe their children's faults."
Caroline's eyes widened when she saw the drawing. For a moment all she could do was gape at it, the girl was in her bed as Miss Fulsom had described but the boy was what caught Caroline's attention. He was hovering above, not by much, perhaps only about an inch on the paper but it was clear that there was nothing but thin air holding him up. The artist had clearly meant to show the boy was no ordinary one since she had drawn him with wings. That along with the fact that he was suspended above the bed suggested he could fly.
Caroline awoke in the middle of the night to see a pair of bright blue eyes staring at her. She would have thought they were her father's except for the fact that they were full of youth and lacked the sadness that always lingered in her father's eyes, however hard he tried to hide it. These were the same color and shape, yet they were so different, full of joy and innocence that had never known the pain that haunted both her parents.
It couldn't be, could it? The drawing was just a sketch, too basic to show any distinguishing features on either of the subjects. The boy in Caroline's mind did not have wings, but if the artist had only seen him briefly she might have just assumed he needed wings to fly.
"The girl, Miss…um…Darling, you said the name was? Did she give any explanation?" Caroline asked urgently, ignoring the surprised looks of the other women. She usually did not speak much with Miss Fulsom; everyone knew they both had very different ideas about children and how to teach them. Not to mention, Caroline never showed interest in the scandals in the school, which was still what most of the women were considering this drawing to be.
"She confirmed it was herself in her bed and that the other subject was 'a boy'." Miss Fulsom replied, clearly surprised by Caroline's question. "That is all the explanation I need."
"I've never seen a boy with wings." Caroline responded calmly, she knew she should not directly accuse the senior teacher of missing an important detail and jumping to conclusions but she was determined to have some answers. "Children don't think the way adults do, this could just be an innocent misunderstanding. If you don't feel it necessary to look further into the matter, tell me the girl's name and I will speak to her."
"There is nothing more to look into." Miss Fulsom said dismissively, Caroline could tell she did not want to continue the conversation but refused to give in. "The fact that the boy was drawn with wings is insignificant in comparison with the fact that not only was she not paying attention in class but this is what she decided to spend her time doing."
"Darling? Do you mean Wendy Darling?" Miss. Jones spoke before Caroline could respond. "I taught her last year. Such a sweet girl; had her head in the clouds a bit too often but I never would have expected something like this." It really was amazing how the woman knew just how to deal with every problem. She had given Caroline the information she needed, but in a perfectly polite way, not taking any side but just saying what she knew.
Just then the clock struck, signaling that it was time for the students to return to their lessons. Miss Fulsom would surely have asked this Wendy Darling to meet her after school, as much as she wanted to Caroline knew it would be inappropriate to show up at the meeting herself and the young woman really did not want Miss Fulsom present when she spoke with the girl considering the topic she had in mind. She would have to wait to speak with Wendy tomorrow.