Sorry for the long wait, I will try to keep up with this story better this summer. Thanks for your patience and as always reviews are greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan.
They flew swiftly over the trees, Caroline growing more and more amazed by Neverland every moment. Once she had become used to flying she found she not only did not mind looking down but was actually enjoying it. She caught a few glimpses of various animals as she peered through the treetops they soared over. The forest itself was wonderful; the leafy canopy was comforting beneath her while underneath she knew there were countless adventures waiting for her.
When they were nearing a large old tree the boys and Tinkerbell began to descend back to the ground with Caroline following their lead. She looked around, wondering where the hideout could be. The area looked exactly like any other section of forest; there was nothing to suggest a house of any kind.
"Welcome to our home under the ground." Jaunty announced, gesturing around them.
"I don't understand," Caroline replied, "how do you get in if it's underground?"
"We use hidden entrances," Peter answered beckoning her to follow him towards a hollow tree. "Look there," he pointed into the hollow base of the trunk.
At first Caroline thought it was just an ordinary space inside a tree but as her eyes focused on the area Peter was pointing to she understood what was so special. Towards the back of the trunk, just big enough for a child to fit in was a space too dark to just be the shadowed section inside the tree. It had to be a tunnel, an entrance. Caroline stared wide eyed at the secret passage. "No wonder the pirates haven't found you," she murmured remembering what Jaunty had said about pirate scouts trying to find where they lived.
"This slide should fit you," Peter said peering into the hollow part of the tree.
"You mean," Caroline began, feeling a little wary, "you have to slide there, down that little space?" The tunnel looked so small, and if the entrance was already that darkened by shadow the inside had to be pitch black.
"The pirates would never expect it," Jaunty explained with a shrug as he walked over to another tree. Caroline could see that it too was hollow and though at the distance it was invisible to her she assumed there was a tunnel at the back of that one as well.
"And even if they did," Peter added, "no grown up can fit in any of the hollow trees to get inside. That's why we each need our own, one of us only fits in one tree. I'll fit you for your own later but we're close enough in size that this one should do for now." With that Peter stepped inside and slid out of sight down the hollow tree.
"It's good timing," Jaunty said, "all the boys should still be inside so you can meet everyone at one time." Caroline just smiled, unsure of what to expect from the rest of her brother's companions but full of curiosity about them and Neverland in general. The fact that they seemed to have come up with the strangest living arrangement only added to the mix of eagerness and nerves she was feeling. "Well, go on," Jaunty said cheerfully, gesturing for her to go inside the hollow tree. "Just climb in and slide down. It'll be a close fit, it is for everybody, but it's quite easy."
Though he was standing ready in front of his own tree, Jaunty seemed to be waiting for her to go first so Caroline figured she should not keep him waiting. She took a deep breath and stepped inside the tree and lowered herself into the tunnel entrance. She felt herself sliding quickly down a smooth slope but it was too dark to see anything. However, in only a second or two there was light ahead of her and she felt her feet hit soft ground. She was standing in a large open space entirely formed by compact earth. She could see the tree roots creating intricate patterns on the ceiling, most likely helping to support the dirt and hold it in place. Along the walls there were numerous holes, all slightly different sizes, which Caroline guessed were where the other hollow trees led. As if to confirm her guess, Jaunty appeared suddenly out of one of the openings to her left. The furniture was simple, mostly made of wood and what appeared to be large mushrooms still growing out of the floor. It might have been simple and Caroline knew her mother would be horrified by the lack of organization, not to mention the fact that dirt was a major element in the arrangement, the twelve year old found it cozy and welcoming.
Finally, Caroline's eyes settled on a cluster of boys in the center of the room. Four pairs of eyes had settled on her upon her arrival. Peter stood in front of the group with his back to Caroline and Jaunty crossed the room to join the group. Peter, noticing his arrival and the shifted attention of the other boys turned. "Lost Boys, meet my sister, Caroline," he announced. The boys all stepped towards Caroline while Peter and Jaunty stayed back, apparently leaving the others to introduce themselves. Out of habit Caroline gave a small curtsy to the group forming in front of her, then realizing that she was not in her parents' drawing room she wondered if such formalities were appropriate here in Neverland. She glanced at Peter who seemed amused by the gesture, so she focused her attention to these "Lost Boys" as each began to introduce themselves.
"My name's Slightly," the first boy to step forward was dark haired and close to Caroline's height. "I remember sisters, they-"
"I'm Nibs," another boy interrupted Slightly as he eagerly stepped forward. He shook Caroline's hand, "it is a pleasure to meet you, Caroline."
What curious names they all have, Caroline thought, but before she could respond a boy with a mess of sandy colored curls on his head stepped forward. "I'm Curly," he said, looking up at her with a shy smile. She returned the smile before looking over to the last boy who stood patiently behind the others.
"My name is Tootles," he told her with a smile and polite nod.
"It is wonderful to meet you all," Caroline said, "I'm sure we're going to have splendid adventures while I'm here." Peter and Jaunty came to join the group as she spoke.
"Do sisters go on adventures?" Curly asked.
"Sisters are the same as other girls," Nibs replied thoughtfully, "If girls were adventurous a few of them ought to have fallen out of their prams and become Lost Girls, but there aren't any of those."
"I expect girls are just too clever to fall out of their prams," Caroline retorted, if she was to be the Lost Boys only impression of girls she was determined to make it a good one.
Jaunty gave an approving laugh. "You're going to fit in well," he said, "girls may not fall out of their prams but if they're all like you they can manage on their own."
"Well, I wouldn't say all girls back in London are like me," Caroline admitted shyly, remembering how many of the other girls on her street would rather pretend to be keeping house as the wife of a nobleman than imagine themselves exploring an ancient castle.
"Of course," Peter said happily, "I'm such a remarkable boy so my sister would be a rare sort of girl." The other boys nodded in agreement as Caroline felt the color rise in her cheeks.
"I'm very curious to hear about your adventures," Caroline said, deciding this was finally a good time to really hear about what Neverland was like without the distractions of flying or pirate attacks. "From what I've seen and heard so far it seems anything in Neverland is sure to be perfectly thrilling."
The boys were more than happy to recount various adventures they had and Caroline enjoyed hearing not just the adventures themselves but also noticing each boy's unique style. Peter had obviously had the most adventures of all the boys, though it seemed he quickly forgot a good portion of them. Slightly would tell the entire account eagerly while she often had to ask questions to prompt Curly to continue. Nibs went into great detail about battles and narrow escapes– often leaping up and re-enacting particularly climactic parts– while Tootles gave every aspect of the adventure the same amount of attention. She found Jaunty the most interesting to listen to, he had a way of maintaining such a cheerful tone that Caroline felt herself smiling in even the most frightening parts, his carefree nature allowed him to find something funny in practically any situation.
Tinkerbell was also a charming part of the storytelling. Since Peter was the only one who could understand her perfectly– the Lost Boys seemed to be able to get the basic idea but not every word– she never gave her own full account of any adventure, but she would correct the others or add some detail the teller had forgotten.
They continued recounting their adventures to Caroline for hours, until all of their stomachs had begun to rumble. Caroline volunteered to make their meal; it seemed only fair she contribute something after they had entertained her for so long. The boys offered to hunt or fish to add to the meal but since Caroline knew very little about preparing a freshly killed animal she suggested they put that off until one of the boys could show her what to do and in the meantime they could have a fine vegetable soup from what was already in the small box they kept as a pantry. Peter, who had been the least eager to have supper, suggested they pretend there was some kind of meat in addition to the soup and Caroline was impressed to see how seriously the boys took this. Each made a point of cutting and eating a good sized piece from the apparently empty plate that was left in the center of the table beside the soup bowl. Caroline followed their lead, surprised to find it did not feel at all silly and in fact she almost felt a bit more full from it.
After supper Tinkerbell retired to her room, a recess in the wall that was hidden by a small curtain. Caroline caught a glimpse inside that was enough for her to tell it was a lovely little boudoir, she would have to ask Tinkerbell for a better look sometime when the fairy was not readying herself for bed. This led Caroline to ask where they were all to sleep, the boys answered by pulling down a large bed that had been propped on its side during the day.
"Tinkerbell says a lady ought to have her own bedchamber," Jaunty pointed out as he looked from Caroline to the bed where the other Lost Boys had already begun climbing into their sleeping places.
"I don't need a whole room," Caroline replied, "there really is no way to make one here and I don't want to be a trouble."
"Tinkerbell is very particular when it comes to proper living arrangements," Jaunty explained, ignoring the somewhat irritated sounding chimes that came from behind the little curtain.
"Well, I wouldn't mind a bed of my own," Caroline admitted. "I don't need a place to change clothes or powder my nose just now since I didn't bring any more than this," she added, gesturing to her nightclothes.
"We have an extra blanket we use when winter comes," Tootles said hurrying over to a large folded cloth beside the bed. "You can use that and we'll just have to make a new one before the next frost."
Once that was agreed on Peter gathered some moss from the forest and helped Caroline arrange it as a mattress. The spare blanket was large enough that Caroline could fold it in half on top of the moss and lie between it. The twelve year old only realized just how tired she was when she actually lay down in her little bed and so quickly fell asleep and the boys, though much more accustomed to days of excitement –so much so that this day seemed one of the less eventful they had had for some time –were not as worn out but also drifted off to sleep in a matter of minutes.