Small Author's Note:

I did rewrite a small bit towards the ending of this chapter, hope you like it. Please review and tell me which version you liked better.

Now, on with the story:

CHAPTER 1

"Something's in There."

"I'll get you boy!" came the roar from below. Hook glared up at the flying figure above. His eyes were filled with utter contempt and frustration.

The flying boy dressed in a holed, torn, sleeveless shirt and shorts, smiled and waved down at the pirate before turning to go, leaving the pirate shouting up at him in rage, (as usual.)

Peter was not an ordinary boy, nor a normal person for that mater. He had almost been, once, before his encounter with the Starcatchers. In the attempt to keep a chest, which contained a magical dust called starstuff, away from the Starcatchers' enemies (the "Others"). Peter had been exposed to enough starstuff to have killed him, but instead, changed him forever. Not only could he now fly, but several other things had happened to him as well.

The island known as Never Land had also changed. The starstuff infused water of the island allowed the inhabitants to never age or get sick. Also, it now existed in another dimension.

Peter shot through the sky, the warm island breeze blowing across his face, whistling through his fiery red hair. Stopping when he thought he was a safe enough distance away, he let out a sigh of relief, "That was close!"

A string of unhappy chimes rang out from behind him, fairy language for "Ahem!"

"Thanks for rescuing me, Tink," he said to Tinker Bell, who flew up right in front of the boy's face.

"For about the thousandth time," Tink pointed out to him. She stared into Peter's freckled face, both relieved that her beloved Peter was safe, and angry that once again the boy had ignored her warnings, and gotten trapped by Hook.

Peter stopped and hovered in the air. He couldn't see where he was going with Tink in his face.

"When are you going to learn to listen to me!" she uttered in exasperation.

"Tink, please get out my face." said Peter, swishing the fairy away.

Tink landed on his shoulder. "You're about as dumb as that codfish," Tink said, pointing behind them at the pirate fort.

"I am not!" Peter snapped, shaking her off. He glanced over his shoulder at the fort not far behind. "I am not." He said again, more to himself than to Tink.

A loud BOOM! echoed below. Peter swerved out of the way as a bullet flew past him. "You missed, again!" he called down to the pirate. Peter's attention turned to Tink, who was tugging on his red hair.

"Go, now!" she ordered him.

Peter sighed and took off. Tink shot after him. He came in for a landing on the beach. A girl rushed out of the dark jungle ahead, pushing vines and bushes out of her way. She wore a skirt and top both made from leaves, her skin was brownish-tan, and her long black hair flowed down her back tangled with leaves and twigs at the ends.

"Where have you been? My father sent me to get you. I've been looking everywhere for you!" shouted Shining Pearl, oldest daughter of the Mollusk chieftain, Fighting Prawn. One glance into Peter's mischievous, blue eyes told her everything. The girl's eyes widened. "Oh, you didn't!"

"Yes he did!" came Tinker Bell's angry chimes as she flew up beside her. Tink's little arms were crossed and her face was red. Of course Peter was the only one who could understand Tink's chimes.

"What?" he said, shrugging his shoulders and grinning.

Both girls were glaring disapprovingly at him. No one spoke. The waves crashing upon the sand made a loud enough noise.

Peter broke the silence saying: "I got away, didn't I?"

"Barely!" Tink put in.

Shining Pearl rolled her eyes at the boy who had a habit of getting into trouble.

A mild breeze blew past them. The leaves of the palm trees were swaying. Something made a noise that neither Peter nor Shining Pearl heard, though Tink did (and said so.)

Guessing what Shining Pearl was going to say next Peter said "Don't tell your father, please."

Her glare softened on him. It was Peter now who was staring into her eyes. Shining Pearl sighed, "Oh, all right, I won't tell this time."

Tink chimed at them again determined to be heard. The boy and girl turned around to where Tink pointed and saw something far in the distance looming in the jungle. Both children ducked behind a large bolder in the shallow water.

"Pirates?" Peter mumbled to himself. "Coming after me?" he thought, "But they wouldn't dare cross over to the Mollusks' side of the island, would they?"

"No," rang the chimes, "not pirates."

"Then what is it?" he whispered to Tink. Peter peered over the side of the rock and could hear the sound of footsteps. They didn't make much noise. Shining Pearl sat up and looked with him.

"Do you see anything?" she whispered to Peter.

He shook his head. "No, but Tink says they aren't pirates."

Shining Pearl, who crouched at the corner of the boulder, silently pulled herself up, into clear view of whoever was lurking in the jungle. Peter stared at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a whisper.

"I'm going to go see who's in there," and knowing Peter would follow her she added, "You, stay here with Tinker Bell."

Before Peter could protest, the girl was off, running silently into the darkness of the jungle.

It seamed to be hours since she had left. Peter made up his mind, he had waited long enough. He rose into the air.

Tink made a burst of accusing bells.

"To find Shining Pearl, that's where I'm going" answered Peter.

More bells.

"Well stay here then." Peter elevated higher in the air to get a better look at the jungle.

The all too familiar urgent warning chimes rang from below.

"Tink, I can't hear you. What?"

The bells repeated.

No use, he could not make any sense out it. What was Tink going on about now! Peter dove down to see what was bothering Tink so much. He stopped in the air 6 feet from the ground.

Tink, exasperated for having to repeat herself for the second time, said slowly: "Something, bad, in there, " she pointed into the darkness.

Annoyed Peter said, "I know you told us that before."

Tink started to answer "No, not tha-" but was cut off mid-chime by the sudden movement ahead.

Peter put a finger to his lips silencing Tink who made a short sound which meant "Hmph!"

Feeling a chill she shivered, nestling into Peter's fiery red tussle of hair.

The boy drew out his dagger which hung on a vine belt at his side. Peter was prepared to fight whatever was about to burst out of the darkness. Rustling came again from the jungle and then it happened, six boys came racing towards Peter.

Known as the Lost Boys, they were Peter's closest friends. Peter of course was the leader of the bunch. All seven boys lived together in a driftwood hut near the Mollusk village.

Slightly was first to get out, making his way through the tangles of vines and branches. "I found him!" he shouted to the others as they came stumbling out behind.

Peter let out a deep sigh with enormous relief, he replaced his dagger and floated down to greet them.

The boys were talking non-stop all at the same moment. They drowned him with questions. "Where were you?" most of them asked.

"Do we have to start the game over?" the Twins asked.

"How many goats did you find Peter?" Nibs and Curly both asked.

"I found a snake!" Tootles said.

"That doesn't count," the rest of the boys said.

"Does too, the snake ate the goat."

Goat hunting was one of the boys' favorite activities. Of course they weren't actually hunting the goats, the goal was simply to spot as many goats as one could.

The boys forgot Peter for a moment and started quarreling among themselves. But Peter wasn't listening to them anymore, memories of long ago replayed in his mind. Goat Hunting was a game that James, one of the original Lost Boys, came up with.

James was also the best friend Peter had ever had. And though he got along well with Slightly and the rest, it just wasn't the same. Nor…would it ever be. A frown appeared on Peter's face, just for a moment, then it was gone. All the same, Peter turned around so the boys wouldn't see him sad. He stared out at the sea envisioning a large ship sailing away, slowly until it became only a small, little, greyish speck on the ocean.

Peter was suddenly jolted back to the present, "Huh?" asked Peter.

Slightly repeated himself for the third time. "I said," said Slightly, "How many goats did you find?"

Peter thought for a moment, then frowned. He'd only found one, before he had gotten captured by the pirates. He was about to answer then froze. He heard something! There it was again, another rustling noise.

Then Shining Pearl emerged. "Well," she said dusting her hand off on her skirt, "Tinker Bell was right. Those aren't pirates," she added with a laugh.

Peter with a quick glance over at the Lost Boys, laughed a little too.

Tink, who had been unusually silent for a long time, started chiming loudly again. She landed on Peter's shoulder.

He glanced at her, then at the silent jungle. "Tink, I don't see anything." Peter walked toward the looming darkness.

More chiming.

"What's she saying?" Shining Pearl asked, coming up behind them.

A sudden chill flew past them out of the jungle, though there was no wind. Peter shook his head in confusion. "It couldn't be, not here!" he thought, gazing into the thick over growth of plants and tree limbs. "She says," Peter paused, "she says someone's still in there."

Tink nodded.

Shining Pearl took a step past them peering into the black. Shivering a little, she too shook her head. "I didn't hear or see anything when I was in there," sticking head into the jungle, then pulling it back, "and I don't see anything now."

Peter nodded his head in agreement. "It was probably just the wind," he said to himself.

Tink slumped, annoyed that the children didn't believe her.

The Lost Boys suddenly noticing that Peter had walked off, trotted over to him. They all stopped behind Slightly.

"What's wrong?" Slightly asked.

Peter turned to them shrugging. "Nothin', just, Tink thought she heard something."

"I did hear something!" came the tiny complaint.

"Maybe she did hear something?" Slightly suggested.

"That's what I said," said Tink, now standing on Peter's shoulder with her hands on her hips.

Peter rolled his eyes at her. Tink could be quite argumentative at times. Well actually she was most of the time.

Tink whispered to Peter, "And you felt it too." He took a few steps back.

The morning sun was beating down on all seven of the children, the sand beneath their bare feet felt like burning lava. Shining Pearl looked down at her hot feet, the surge of hot sand made her remember something she forgot in the whole course of everything. She slapped her hand to her forehead. Peter turned looking at her.

"Oh I forgot!"

"What?" he asked Shining Pearl.

"My father wanted you for the meeting they're having. That's why he sent me to find you," she explained, glancing up at the position of the sun. "And you'd better fly or you'll be late." Shining pearl looked back at Peter.

"Meeting? About what?" he asked her.

"I don't know, he wouldn't say."

Peter glared up at the sun which wasn't such a good idea, he momentarily went blind. He turned towards Slightly saying, "You and the boys go back to the hut. I'll be back later."

Slightly nodded.

Then rising into the air, Peter called out a thank you below to Shining Pearl and raced off towards the Mollusk village.

Tink, sitting in Peter's hair, glanced back at the jungle as they flew. She chimed silently to herself "There's something in there."