If Peter was going to learn how to read and write Wendy was going to have to start at the beginning so the first part of lesson was teaching him the alphabet. It was rather difficult for him.

"I don't understand how a letter can have two sounds." He said.

"I know it's complicated right now Peter but soon it will make plenty of sense."

"Wendy we're back." She heard her mother say.

"Mother's come back with Father and Michael." Wendy said. "Wait here while I try to explain things to him."

Wendy went back downstairs to greet her father and younger brother with a hug and a kiss. She then requested to speak with her father in his private study to explain about Peter. Needless to say Mr. Darling wasn't to thrilled about his daughter inviting a stranger to live with them.

"Absolutely not. Wendy I will not stand for this." He declared firmly.

"But Father he has no where else to go and no idea who he really is."

"And neither do you. Neither do any of us. For all we know this amnesia he has could be an act. He could be a burgular or God forbid a murderer."

"Father he's illiterate and uneducated. If we were to throw him out on the streets he would surely die."

"Wendy it would be one thing if it was just me but I have to think about the safety of my family. I can't risk your life or your mother's or your brother's."

"He won't hurt us Father."

"And how do you know that?"

"I don't know I just have a feeling."

"Wendy-"

"Please let him stay Father at least until Dr. Collins and I educate him and find him a job and a home."

"Dr. Collins is in on this?"

"Yes and you said so yourself Father, Dr. Collins is the smartest and most sensible man in London and if he thinks something is a good idea then it is."

"And he thinks that this is a good idea?"

"Yes Father."

He sighed and after thinking for a moment he spoke.

"Very well Wendy."

"Thank you Father."

Not only was Abraham Collins a superv doctor but he was also a highly intelligent scholar who was happy to assist Wendy in educating Peter however he definitely had his work cut out for him. Peter didn't know how to read, write, solve math problems, he had no academic intelligence whatsoever and Peter was no easy student. He was rather stubborn and wanted to give up easily but neither Wendy or Dr. Collins were people who would give up on others.

First they taught him the alphabet then how to put letters together to make words. After that came putting words together to make sentences and phrases with proper punctuations and vowels. Once he understood letters, words, sentences, phrases, punctuations, and vowels they began teaching him how to read books. Peter rather enjoyed his lessons on reading books because it involved Wendy reading stories to him. It was something about her voice that intrigued him to listen to each word she said and when he listened to her he felt a sense of familiarity. Like he had listened to her voice tell him stories once a long time ago. Eventually he did learn to read and write, he also learned simple mathematics and England's history.

After learning academics, Dr. Collins and Wendy began teaching him how to be a proper gentleman. How to dress like a gentleman, how to speak to a gentleman, how to behave toward a young lady, how address other people when meeting them for the first time, how to act at the dinner table, and how to be gracious and humble. Teaching him humility was very difficult because he was a rather cocky young man but oddly enough he already knew how to be chivalrous and respectful toward ladies.

"Now what does this say?" Wendy asked pointing to the sentence on the page of the book they were reading.

"Flowers are beautiful." He read.

"Correct. You're doing so well Peter I'm very proud of you."

"You are too."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Beautiful. You are beautiful too."

"Oh..." She said blushing and smiling shyly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So Peter are there any books in particular that you favored?" She asked trying to hide how flustered she was getting.

"I liked Treasure Island."

"That is a very good book."

"I like how the hero of the story is a boy instead of a man. It's much more interesting and the parts of the story where he was fighting the pirates was so exciting."

"You like stories about children fighting pirates?"

"Yes."

"Then you might like this."

Wendy went toward a book shelf and pulled off a book with a green cover that had embroidery.

"What's that?" Peter asked her.

"It's a book that I wrote. When I was younger I dreamed of becoming a novelist by writing stories about great adventures and heroes. I started writing this when I was twelve."

"What's it about?"

"It's about a boy who never grows up and goes on exciting adventures where he fights pirates and explores an amazing island. It's a wonderful story but the ending is so bittersweet."

"May I read it?"

"Of course." She handed him the book."Let me know if you like it."

"I will. I'll read it tomorrow."

"Good. We better go now, dinner is almost ready."

Wendy then left to go to the dinning room. As she was leaving Peter took notice of the necklace she was wearing. It wasn't any expensive necklace made of gold or silver or jewels like the kind he had seen in the photographs Dr. Collins showed him. In fact it was nothing more than an acorn on a chain. Peter wondered why she wore such a necklace and he also wondered why he was so happy that she did. At dinner he noticed her fiddling with the acorn pendent in one hand while touching her lips with her other hand. It was such a strange action and yet he felt that there was some ulterior meaning behind it. Like her lips and the necklace were connected by something.

His confusion was furthered later that evening he woke up in the middle of the night because he thought he had heard the sound of a bell jingling. He was sure that he had imagined it or dreamed it but nevertheless went to check both the window and the hallway. When he saw nothing he went back to bed but on his way there he stepped on something. Something that had been dropped on to the floor. Looking down he saw that it was a thimble. He picked it up and looked at it then his free hand unconsciously went to touch his lips. Like his lips and that thimble were connected by something just as Wendy's lips and her necklace were connected by something. But what? What exactly was it? And what was that jingling noise he had heard earlier? Was it really all just in his head.