Underneath

The first thing Wendy noticed when Slightly rushed her into the cave was how much like a home it looked. She peered around the cave, which seemed to be much bigger on the inside. It was a huge open room, with a few pieces of furniture. A small makeshift bed was set up near a hand carved table, and a woven rope hammock hung on the other side of the room. Thick vines curled up the damp walls of the cavern, and the hammock hung from two of them. The floor was cold and wet, and Wendy's feet splashed in shallow puddles as she surveyed the room.

Wendy stepped to the table, passing her fingertips over hand drawn maps that were scattered aside. Candle light flickered over one of the maps, a dagger plunged through it. Wendy glanced back over her shoulder at the boy as he mumbled to himself. Was this his... house? With a timid hand she grasped the handle, yanking the dagger free as she looked to see where it had been pinpointed. "Hangman's Tree" was scribbled above the large hole in the map.

"Slightly?" Wendy asked, setting the dagger on the table as she walked to the bed. Dark fur skins were used as blankets, and when she sat on the mattress it sounded like crunching leaves.

"Slightly?" she asked once more after not getting a reply. This time he glanced up at her for only a moment before placing his bow and quiver on the table.

"Maybe he's looking for me," Slightly muttered to himself, taking the dagger from the table as he shuffled to the hammock.

"Does it matter?" Wendy asked, wanting to know what on earth was happening. He had rushed her out of the forest so quickly that she hadn't gotten the chance to ask him about it.

"Of course it matters," he replied, lying in the hammock as he used one of his legs to swing himself back and forth. "Peter hasn't brought anyone to the island in a long time. More importantly, why did he choose you?" he finished, looking over to lock eyes with Wendy as he fiddled with the dagger. Wendy didn't have an answer to give him. She didn't quite know why he had come to her window either.

"I just want to go home," Wendy said, and Slightly frowned, staring at the ceiling of the cave as he swung.

"Only Peter can take you back, I'm afraid."

Wendy's eyes grew wide for a moment, and tears started to pull around her bottom lids. She was already losing hope of ever returning to London. "Why would he bring me here? Why would anyone want to come to this place?! It's hell!"

Slightly silently agreed with her, the island was hell. He didn't blame her for yelling, it was understandable. But she hadn't lived in Neverland anywhere near as long as he had. She had no idea what it once was.

"Neverland, Peter, they weren't always like this," Slightly said after a moment.

"What do you mean?" Wendy sniffled, wiping the water that had collected on her eyelashes.

"That... monster, it's been here for such a long time. I'm almost certain it isn't Peter anymore. But what brought you here, it wasn't Peter, not the one I knew at least."

"What happened to him?" Wendy asked, beginning to think up all sorts of questions.

"It's a long story."

"We have plenty of time," Wendy reminded him, and he sighed as he tried to remember it himself.

"Peter used to be our leader, me and the other lost boys. Things were always good, until Peter started changing. He banished most of the Indians, and after a while the island started to get dark. It used to be beautiful, but it's dying now. It's been quiet for a long time, until he brought you here."

She had many questions about the 'lost boys' or what exactly caused Peter to change, but she stopped herself from asking about it. "You said he was following me?" Wendy asked, not able to put the pieces together like Slightly already had.

"Yes, I was stupid, I should have known you were only bait."

"For what?"

"For me, or for the other lost boys perhaps. After Peter banished the Indians, the other natives were outraged. Most of them went against Peter, myself included. Most of them are dead now, though," Slightly explained, swinging his legs over the side of the hammock to sit upright.

"What does he want?"

"To kill us. We've only managed to live this long because we hide."

"What are you going to do?" Wendy asked, fearing not only for herself but for Slightly as well. Had Peter followed them to this cave? What if he was outside? She stopped herself from thinking about that possibility. The things she had seen in Neverland thus far were terrifying enough as it was, so getting herself worked up would benefit neither Slightly or herself. She just had to stay calm.

"There's only one thing to do," Slightly said, getting up from the hammock and walking over to where Wendy sat. "We have to kill him, before it's too late." He held out the handle of the dagger to her, and she raised her eyebrows at this.

"We? There is no we, I can't do this," she replied, shaking her head.

"But we won't be able to get to him without your help. He's following you, so all you have to do is lure him to us. Once he's surrounded, he won't stand a chance," Slightly persuaded, frowning when she looked to the floor. He kneeled down, trying again to get the girls help. "Wendy, if this works, I promise you I'll find a way to get you home," he said, and she looked up at him, finding it hard to reject his offer.

She looked back to her dirty feet, chewing on her bottom lip as she pondered this. How could she be expected to aid them? How could Slightly think that she, of all people, would be able to help them? She hadn't asked for this, to be tricked and lured here! But Slightly had saved her life only a little while before... He hadn't even thought about the danger he was in, so how could she turn her back on Neverland? She owed him.

"Fine, I'll help you," she replied, and he smiled at her answer. Once more he held out the handle of the dagger, and she gave him a questionable look. "I can't kill him."

"It's for protection. If something happens, I'm not going to leave you unarmed. It's just incase."

"I- I can't take this," she said.

"If something goes wrong you have to protect yourself. There's no telling what he might do. Wendy," he started, "take it." She looked from his eyes back to the handle, and after a moment of pause, she took the blade from his outstretched hand. This was it, she was going to help save the island.

A/N~ ok so there's ch 3! Sorry it took so long to update, but I hope you guys liked this! Please tell me what you think so far, its greatly appreciated! I'm leaving for Warped tour in a few days, so i wont be able to write for a little while, but I'll update soon! Thanks for your lovely reviews, follows, and favorites! And thanks for reading my story; stay tuned!