Hey, guys. I'm apologizing in advance if this chapter is complete and utter crap. My cat passed away unexpectantly last night and because of that my heart isn't in it at the moment. But I wanted to update for those who have been asking. If there are any spelling/grammar mistakes please kindly tell me and I'll fix them. I'll also be reading through it again tomorrow to check anyway. Thanks

Chapter Eight

Wendy's POV

I was sitting on Peter's bed, my back pressed up against the wall and my knees pulled up to my chest. A feeling of worry and anxiousness had settled in my stomach ever since Peter had left. The room was looking slightly cleaner after my attempt to tidy it. My 'attempt' consisted of shoving everything that was broken into one corner. My clean freak of mother would have a heart attack if she saw the hideout's condition.

My mother.

Sadness overwhelmed me as I thought about my family. I missed them something shocking. I missed the way Mum would constantly be following after Michael, tidying up the mess he left in his wake; I missed finding John curled up in the window frame, one leg hanging out, as he became completely absorbed in whatever he was reading; I missed the way Dad would ruffle my hair whenever he walked passed me, even though he knew that I hated it; I even missed way that Michael would burst into my room at any ungodly hour of the morning, wanting to show me an insect or some little creature that he had caught.

In short, I simply missed everything about them.

Deciding that I couldn't simply sit here any longer, I climbed off the bed and made my way back into the main room of the hideout. Overhead, soft light was starting to shine through the giant hole in the ceiling. It was almost daybreak.

And Peter still hadn't returned.

I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night. Instead, I laid away, staring vacantly at the ceiling as I stopped myself from running after him a thousand different times. But now it was almost morning and I beginning to go out of my mind with worry.

What if Peter had been captured? What if he and the boys were injured…or worse? What if they were walking back through the forest right at this moment, completely unharmed?

Yeah, right.

But it had been hours since he had left. Hours!

No, I wasn't waiting any longer. I couldn't. Staring up at the ruined ceiling, I realised that there was just one problem: I didn't know how to get out. I couldn't jump up-it was entirely too high. I couldn't fly up like Peter had. I couldn't simply close my eyes and picture myself standing on the grass above only to magically appear there.

I fought the urge to scream in frustration. When I had told Peter that I would follow after him and his hadn't argued, he had no doubt known that I would be stuck in the hideout until he came back. Why hadn't I thought of this earlier? I had basically shot myself in the foot.

Okay, you're a smart girl. You can come up with something, I told myself, tapping my forehead as it this would force an idea to magically appear. Think, Wendy, think. But nothing inspirational and incredibly genius come to me. My mind was blank. Nothing. Nada.

"God dammit!" I yelled, throwing my arms down in anger and frustration. Peter and the boys could be in trouble and here I was struggling to even get out of the hideout. Some backup I made. Fighting desperate tears, I made my way through the debris and pulled out a wonky chair from the table, dusted it off, and took a seat, hanging my head. The table itself was still covered by a large slab of the trunk.

Wait!

My head jerked up sharply. The table. I could have kicked myself at the sheer simplicity of it. Standing hastily, I shoved my chair back. It toppled over in my haste. Looking between the table and the hole in the ceiling, I couldn't help but smile. Placing my hands on the section of the trunk, I shoved it off of the table and onto the floor. It landed with a crunch. Next, I grabbed edge of the table and proceeded to pull it across the room. It was tiring work as I had to stop and kick debris out of the way multiple times. The wooden table was also heavier then it looked.

By the time the table was in place, I was sweating and my heart was beating faster than it should have been. I could feel my pulse in my ears. The sun finally broken over the tree tops and soft daylight flooded into the clearing. Hoisting myself up onto the table, I stood directly below the edge of the crater. I stretched my arms above my head and stood on the tips of my toes. My hands were still a good foot away from touching the ceiling. I let out a string of very unladylike swearwords. I tried jumping up but decided against it when the table creaked underneath me.

As I surveyed the room, my eyes landed on the chair that I had previously sat in. Scurrying off of the table and across the room, I picked it up and carried it back over. I lifted the chair up onto the table before hopping back up myself. One of its legs were shorter than the others, causing it to wobble slightly as I stood on it. Biting my lip in unease, I stretch to my full height. I was tall enough now that my chest was level with the ground above. My arms braced themselves on the grass and I let out a squeal of the unstable chair shook underneath me. An image of me falling and breaking my neck entered my mind before I roughly shoved it away.

Okay, one jump and them haul yourself up, I told myself. You can do this.

One.

Two.

Three-

I jumped and pushed myself up with my weak arms. My stomach hit the grass and I heard the chair tumbled over. I wiggled my body away from the hole in the ground, breathing hard as I rolled over onto my back, staring up at the blue morning sky. I couldn't contain the small smile that formed on my lips.

Take that, Peter, I thought proudly. Nobody is keeping this girl trapped. After a few minutes, my heart rate returned to normal and I stood, dusting the grass and dirt off of my clothes.

I had no idea where Hook's ship was so I decided that my best option would be to talk to the beach and make my way around the edge of the island. It would take a while but it was the best option I had.

I scanned the clearing, unsure of which direction I should start walking in. If I went left, I would be walking towards the Indians' camp again-back towards Tiger Lily. That wasn't an option.

Right it was.

-X-X-X-

The cool water lapped around my ankles as I made my way along the beach, the sand feeling nice underneath my bare feet. Judging from the overhead sun, it was about mid-afternoon. I had been walking for most of the day, stopping for short breaks when I grew tired. I don't think I had covered even half of the island's circumference. My stomach rumbled loudly. I was hungry as hell and hadn't seen hide nor hair of a ship all day. The overwhelming feeling of hopelessness was growing with each passing minute.

I walked for what had to be close to another hours until I stopped, exhausted and drained. Dragging my feet, I stumbled out of the water and flopped down onto the sand. Throughout the day, I had had plenty of time to come up with a plan for when I found the ship. So far, I had come up with nothing. Okay, that wasn't entirely true. I had one idea, but it was insane and would never work. In fact, it would most likely get me crucified on the spot.

I rested my elbows on my knees and buried my face in my hands. This whole thing-coming to Neverland-was stupid. In the few days that I had been here, I had managed to cause nothing but disaster.

Peter had almost died; the boys had been taken; Peter had gone after then and was now missing also. If he hadn't gone to the Indians to try help me, he would never have been hurt, he would have been there when the hideout exploded, and the poor boys wouldn't have been left defenceless. It was my fault and now I couldn't even find the bloody ship that they were being held captive on. I was completely and utterly useless.

Something sharp swiped at my leg, interrupting my pity party. I jumped in fright. My eyes widened in shock as I took in the small cat that was sitting beside me patiently. A streak of silver on one of its ears marked its otherwise pitch black fur. Its eyes were large and the strangest purple colour I had ever seen. The way they studded me intently had me feeling slightly unnerved.

"Hey, kitty," I said slowly, reaching my hand out. I eyes the animal warily as it nudged its head against my fingers. "Where'd you come from?"

The cat bit my finger and I yelped in surprise. It turned and started walking down the beach. After a few steps, it turned and looked back at me as if to say, "Why aren't you coming?"

Feeling bewildered, I stood and followed. The little animal lead me forward, glancing back every so often. How strange. It only stopped when the beach took a turn to the left some time later. The trees from the forest next to us blocked my view. The cat turned and looked at me one last time before it bolted into the trees, leaving me alone once again.

"Wait!" I yelled after it. "Come back!"

It didn't.

Shaking my head in confusion, I directed my gaze onto the turn in the beach. Not knowing what else to do, I walked around the bend. I froze as my eyes landed on a ginormous pirate ship that was anchored off of the island. Turning around quickly, I looked frantically for the cat, but it was nowhere in sight. Somehow it had led me to the ship and that knowledge scared the crap out of me.

Thanks for reading.