~*~ The Ruritanian Isle ~*~
- Chapter Three: Seeing What You Want to See -
"Wake up! Please, Mother, get up!"
Kelly's eyelids shot open only to see that one of the boys was standing above her. "What is it?" she asked softly as he pulled her to her feet.
"Peter's waiting for you outside," he said. "He wants to show you the mermaids."
"Mermaids?"
She knew there were pirates and braves and little boys in Never Land, but she didn't expect there to be actual mermaids. Kelly patted the boy on the head with a grin and stood underneath of her tree hole. In the same moment, she was in the forest with the tree behind her.
"Hi," greeted Peter.
"Hullo," Kelly replied sleepily. "What's all this about mermaids?"
"Oh good, Nibs told you. The mermaid's lagoon isn't far from here, and it's stunning in the morning. What say you?"
Kelly really wanted to take a shower and have something to eat first, but figured it could wait until after the lagoon. Besides, how many chances does one have in life to see mermaids? Even though, her stomach was just about eating itself. She hadn't had anything to eat the previous day, remember.
Peter took her arm in is with a gallant smile. "Come on, Mother, let us go and see the mermaids," he insisted.
"I'm not your mother, Peter, and you know that," she warned.
"But the boys believe it," he argued.
"They're boys; you're my age. It's not right."
Peter looked rather disheartened by this, but continued his pace. Kelly skipped a little to keep up with him. Everyone in Never Land walked so fast! The ground was uneven and littered with leaves and twigs of all kinds. She was relieved that she had been wearing her footsie socks to bed the night that Smee came to get her.
The two of them passed by trees and bushes dotted with fairies darting to and fro. "Peter," Kelly began. "Why is it that there are so many fairies here?"
"Every time a baby is born, a fairy is created," Peter explained.
"I never used to believe in--"
Peter shoved his hands over her mouth forcefully and tackled her to the ground. Kelly managed to pry him off.
"Are you psycho or something?" she roared. Peter was equally upset and he was breathing hard.
"Never say that!" he cried. "Never ever say that!"
"Never say what?"
"What you were just saying!"
"Psycho? Why can't I say that?"
Peter took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, what you said about fairies. Every time someone says that, a fairy dies." Kelly bit her lip in horror over what she almost did.
"I almost murdered a fairy," she whispered. Peter helped her up and brushed off her clothes. "Is there anything else about this place that I should know about?"
They were walking again, now, and she could barely make out the blue of the water ahead. "Well," said Peter. "Every time someone in Never Land breathes, a grown-up is killed." He told this with such a passion in his voice that it startled her.
Kelly suddenly thought about her own mother and father and held her breath worriedly.
"Of course, it's only a speculation," he continued. "But I like to think that it's true."
"How dreadfully morbid," Kelly mused aloud.
"Oh, look, Mother!" he hollered, racing ahead of her. "We're here!"
The path through the forest led down to a lovely white-sand beach. The lagoon's water was a sparkling tropical blue and large, flat stones seemed to be floating in it. Then, Kelly saw the mermaids. They were lying on some of the rocks and flapping their fishtails lazily.
Peter took this opportunity to soar into the air and fly over to them. The mermaids instantly waved and shouted happily at him. Kelly stood at the tide and watched, feeling badly left out. How could he just forget her like that?
"Hey!" she called. "Peter, hey!"
He flew over with a grin. "Do you want to meet them?" he asked, picking her up without consent and setting her down on one of the rocks. Kelly watched in awe as the mermaids swam up and looked at her curiously.
"She's not as pretty as the last one you brought," one of them said as she flipped her blonde hair. Kelly's face fell.
"And not even a proper lady," another chimed in. "Her hair is down and she's in pants."
Peter was laughing from his spot in the air and this infuriated Kelly. However, she stuck out her tongue rather childishly. No egotistical half-fish was going to mortify her that easily. "Peter," she said. "I thought mermaids were supposed to be fair and beautiful. These pompous fish can't possibly be them."
"Pompous?" shrieked a mermaid.
"Fish?" howled another.
The mermaids covered their faces and swam away in separate directions. Kelly chuckled on her rock and waved goodbye. Peter landed. "I think you upset them," he said.
"Eh, they remind me of some girls at my highschool," she huffed. "I know how to deal with those kinds of people. Not as pretty as the last one, my ass." Suddenly, she felt a sharp tug on her hair and yelped in pain.
A yellow glow zipped past and Kelly recognized it as Tinkerbell. "Tink says you're rude," Peter translated with a smirk.
"I can say the same for her," Kelly grumbled, rubbing her head. "Do all fairies pull hair?"
"Some do, but Tink excels in it."
"Figures."
The fairy flew about in a fuss and pinched Kelly's skin wherever she could find it. Peter, sensing trouble, popped back into the air to observe.
"Ow!" cried Kelly. "You stupid fairy, come back here!" She lunged at the spot of light, but lost her balance and plunged into the briny water. At first, she was too distressed to move, but when she tried, it was as if someone was holding her down. Kelly's lungs burned and she fought desperately to surface until, finally, the pressure left and she was able to break the water.
Peter was holding a damp Tinkerbell in his hands and scorning her. "Why would you do such a thing, Tink? That's awful!" he upbraided. The fairy wiggled free and spat water out at his face. During this, Kelly was clinging to the side of the rock and gasping. Her mind was a little muzzy, and she couldn't stop trembling.
Tinkerbell, in a fury of bells and pixie dust, stormed off. Peter watched her leave, and then helped Kelly up.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I just need to sit still for a while," she groaned. He allowed her to lean back on him, even though her clothes were waterlogged and salty.
"You do that," Peter agreed. "And I'll make sure the mermaids don't bother you." Kelly stared at him with an odd smile.
"How gentlemanly of you," she complimented. Her eyes felt heavy, and then she napped.
~*~
Captain Hook sat down on a tree stump and blew an errant stand of midnight hair from his face. He and two others had been out since before the sun to look for the missing girl. So far, there wasn't a single sign that happened to suggest her whereabouts. Smee took a break as well and opened his liquor-filled canteen.
"I must say, Miss McClure is exceptionally elusive," he said amid gulps.
"That's putting it mildly," said the other sailor accompanying them, Bill Jukes, who was currently sharpening his cutlass on a stone. "The wench is damned invisible." Smee wagged a finger at Jukes with a tut-tut.
"Now, Mr. Jukes, there's no need to curse," he lectured.
"Fine, Mr. Smee, damn. It's not my fault we can't find the bitch," Jukes laughed. In the same instant, Hook was on his feet with his sword pointed directly at the pirate's throat. Jukes grinned toothily and put up his hands in defense.
"You're lucky I always count," Hook snarled. "Next time I'll bleed you."
"Captain, perhaps we should head back to the ship," Smee suggested. "We never did get to eat breakfast and I think you're starting to get grouchy."
Hook threw up his nose in a dignified sort of way and thrust the sword down the open path. "I say we press on, Mr. Smee," he said. "She may be just over this rise." Jukes grabbed the canteen from Smee and took a mouthful.
"You said that at the last rise," he reminded, wiping his chin. The chimes of faraway bells reached their ears all of a sudden. A small glowing ball that was unmistakably a fairy glided towards them and made circles around Hook's head.
"Look," whispered Smee. "It's Tinkerbell, Peter's pixie."
Jukes drew his weapon. "Let's eat it," he growled. Tinkerbell made an alarmed sort of ring and stood on the captain's plumed hat, hiding behind the thick feather. She leaned into his ear and began to say something in the fairy language. Hook, luckily, understood most of it.
"A girl? And she's with Peter?" he hissed sharply. "Which way?"
The fairy shook her head with a frown and continued to speak. Hook's eyes widened in horror.
"Dead?" he whispered. "She can't be dead."
Smee choked on the liquor and sputtered. "What did Tinkerbell say?" he wheezed. The pirate captain removed his hat and placed it over his chest, not saying a word.
"I do believe the captain's been possessed," Jukes said aside to Smee. Tinkerbell pointed out in front of them, gesticulating wildly.
"Yes," Hook muttered. "Let me see her."
The fairy led the three men down the forest path until finally slowing down when they reached the edge of the Mermaid Lagoon. Hook pushed ahead of Smee and Jukes and shielded his gaze from the glare of the sun. Sprawled on a rock across Peter Pan's lap, was none other than Kelly McClure. The girl's clothes and hair were soaked, and from the looks of it, she wasn't moving.
"Oh no," wept Smee. "The poor thing drowned."
Hook kneaded the bridge of his nose with an anguished groan. "This just can't be happening," he sighed, turning furiously away from the scene. "How could Pan neglect to watch over her?" Jukes threw up his shoulders in confusion.
"Can't we just get a new girl, Captain?" he proposed. Hook whirled on the man and struck him across the face with the claw.
"Don't you dare even suggest--"
"Oh my!" Smee held the captain back by his coat and pulled with all his might until a few of the seams tore. Jukes stood, stunned, and then slowly touched his bleeding cheek. The skin had been torn in a straight line, but the blood was running and beginning to soak into his shirt. Hook glowered at the man and blazed off in the direction from whence he came.
Jukes untied the bandana from around his neck and pressed it to the wound, receiving some sympathetic words from Smee as they trailed pitiably after their livid captain.
~*~
When Kelly woke, Peter was there just like he promised. He beamed, almost as if to say "You're up; I missed you!" without really saying anything at all. She couldn't, for the life of her, figure out how James could hate such an affectionate boy.
"I'm almost dry," she announced. "I'm sure we can leave." Peter burst into flight and picked her up with the greatest of ease.
"Do you want to see the redskins?" he asked. "They're a great bunch!"
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Kelly exclaimed.
"What do you mean?"
"They're Native Americans," she corrected, looking cross. "And I take offence to it because my grandfather was quarter Cherokee; I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but it is." Peter pursed his lips in thought and finally opened his mouth to speak.
"What's a Cherokee?" he inquired, landing on the beach and setting her down safely. Kelly brushed her nightclothes off.
"I can't believe we're having this discussion. Cherokee is one of the names of the Native American tribes," she clarified, but then something very strange occurred to her. "You've...always lived in Never Land...haven't you?"
Peter shifted on his heels. "Is that a bad thing?" he murmured.
"No," Kelly said. "Just...a little surprising." The two of them stared at one another for a moment, then blinked, and all was forgotten. Peter looped her arm in his with a silly smirk.
"Come on, I'll take you to see them, Mother," he said, starting to walk. But Kelly tugged him backwards sharply and glared.
"For god's sake, Peter, I am not your mother!" she cried. "I told you that earlier!"
"But the Lost Boys believe that you are," Peter disagreed. He paused suddenly, and then took her hands in his. "I...believe that you are." Kelly tore from his grasp and took a few paces backwards. She couldn't be a mother; she just couldn't. She was just barely old enough to drive, and now some group of boys wanted to make her a responsible adult?
"I won't have it," she said furiously, folding her arms across her chest. "If there's one thing I will never be forced to become, it's an adult."
Peter was absolutely struck by this, and for the longest time he was silent. "An adult?" he finally whimpered. "We're not asking you to become an adult. We're just asking you to look over us a bit, and tell us stories, and care for us when we're ill. Oh, please, it would mean so much to me and the boys."
Kelly started chewing a perfectly good nail. There was no rhyme of reason to Never Land, or to Peter, or to any of his words. She felt herself coming down with a headache. "Let me take a walk," she sighed. "I'll decide, and then I'll come and find you."
"Sounds fair enough," concurred Peter. A grin twitched on Kelly's lips.
"You're entirely too trusting of people," she said.
"Is there a reason I shouldn't trust you?"
She shrugged lackadaisically and began to walk away from him. "For all you know," she implied, "I could be with Hook." Peter gave a resounding "Ha!" and shook his head.
"I don't think so," he assured. "You don't look the part."
As Kelly wandered up the path from the beach, leaving Peter behind for the time being, she wondered if he was right.
~*~
Cecco, a tall young man with a shock of blonde hair, stood beside the door to his captain's private quarters. Hook had earlier locked himself in and ordered no one to enter, or even knock for that matter. The attitude on the ship was, to put it lightly, confused; Smee most of all.
It didn't make any sense to him how the girl could have drowned with Pan so close. The boy was naïve, but certainly not stupid.
"Mr. Smee," called Cecco in his Italian accent. "When do you think Captain will be about?"
"I'm not entirely sure," the other replied. "He took a fine jolt this afternoon; might take a while."
"Do you think he's all right in there?"
The two men shared expressions of anxiety and promptly pressed their ears to the wooden door. Sounds of heavy footfalls could be heard from inside. Cecco eased up a little. "Pacing," said Smee. "He does it all the time."
"What happened?"
"You remember the girl we took a couple of days ago, don't you?"
"Of course," said Cecco. "And then the Lost Boys got her."
Smee nodded and continued. "Yes, well, she drowned in the Mermaid Lagoon. Tinkerbell showed us," he told, his sorrow apparent. Cecco frowned and snapped his fingers.
"What shall we do?" he asked.
"It's up to Captain."
"Speaking of Captain," Cecco interrupted. "The footsteps are gone." Smee listened against the door, and then his eyebrows rose in alarm. Indeed, the room behind it was quiet as anything. "You don't suppose he's done something drastic, do you?" Cecco asked carefully.
In the same instant, they beat the door open and rushed inside. Hook was gone, and the shutters of the window were untied. "He's run off," Smee said. "Well, doesn't that beat all?"
~*~
Kelly couldn't remember a time when she was more at peace with everything. The birds were chirping in the trees, the sun was shining, a breeze was blowing, and she was in the middle of it all. She twirled daintily, wishing again that she had kept the dress on. The moment would have been all too Snow White. Actually, she found herself comparing a lot of Never Land to Snow White, and she couldn't really tell why.
Her stomach was doing flip-flops by the time she stumbled upon a berry bush. Kelly shoved as many into her mouth as possible and chewed until her jaw ached. She was smiling, however. The flavor was something of a strawberry, but not as sweet; not like it mattered, though, because she was too hungry to care.
At last, she was full again and ready to head back to the Tree. Kelly figured she would attempt to care for the boys and Peter, just as long as they didn't treat her like a mother. She wished to be thought as more of an older sister. Perhaps Peter would understand that.
The smell of thick smoke reached her nostrils. There must've been some sort of camp nearby. "Maybe I'm close to the Native Americans," she pondered aloud, a little surprised to hear her own voice amidst the trees. And then, without warning, the ground spun out from underneath of her and she came crashing to the forest floor.
Kelly scrambled up on all fours and crawled in a random direction. Even when she closed her eyes, she was still disoriented. After colliding with a few trees, she was able to scuttle in a relatively straight line. Nausea struck hard and sent her staggering into something soft and warm. She didn't dare look to see what it was.
Gentle arms engulfed and protected her. The urge to fall asleep and never wake up was settling in, but a deep voice rumbled, "Stay awake, little girl. We, the mighty warrior redskins, will cure you."
"Well...I'll be...damned," Kelly slurred as she reeled into oblivion.
~*~
Coming in Chapter Four - The Indians aid Kelly, Peter gets worried, and Hook suspects murder.
A/N: First of all, sorry for all the profanity. Secondly, this chapter, by far, was the hardest to write (and that's saying something because there's only three), but I swear I'll end up finishing this. I've got the plot all worked out in my head (somewhat), and I just need to put it all into words. It might end up being around eight to ten chapters...I'm not sure. In any case, the next installment should be neat to write, so it should be longer. Again, THANK YOU to all of my reviewers! You guys keep me going!
- Chapter Three: Seeing What You Want to See -
"Wake up! Please, Mother, get up!"
Kelly's eyelids shot open only to see that one of the boys was standing above her. "What is it?" she asked softly as he pulled her to her feet.
"Peter's waiting for you outside," he said. "He wants to show you the mermaids."
"Mermaids?"
She knew there were pirates and braves and little boys in Never Land, but she didn't expect there to be actual mermaids. Kelly patted the boy on the head with a grin and stood underneath of her tree hole. In the same moment, she was in the forest with the tree behind her.
"Hi," greeted Peter.
"Hullo," Kelly replied sleepily. "What's all this about mermaids?"
"Oh good, Nibs told you. The mermaid's lagoon isn't far from here, and it's stunning in the morning. What say you?"
Kelly really wanted to take a shower and have something to eat first, but figured it could wait until after the lagoon. Besides, how many chances does one have in life to see mermaids? Even though, her stomach was just about eating itself. She hadn't had anything to eat the previous day, remember.
Peter took her arm in is with a gallant smile. "Come on, Mother, let us go and see the mermaids," he insisted.
"I'm not your mother, Peter, and you know that," she warned.
"But the boys believe it," he argued.
"They're boys; you're my age. It's not right."
Peter looked rather disheartened by this, but continued his pace. Kelly skipped a little to keep up with him. Everyone in Never Land walked so fast! The ground was uneven and littered with leaves and twigs of all kinds. She was relieved that she had been wearing her footsie socks to bed the night that Smee came to get her.
The two of them passed by trees and bushes dotted with fairies darting to and fro. "Peter," Kelly began. "Why is it that there are so many fairies here?"
"Every time a baby is born, a fairy is created," Peter explained.
"I never used to believe in--"
Peter shoved his hands over her mouth forcefully and tackled her to the ground. Kelly managed to pry him off.
"Are you psycho or something?" she roared. Peter was equally upset and he was breathing hard.
"Never say that!" he cried. "Never ever say that!"
"Never say what?"
"What you were just saying!"
"Psycho? Why can't I say that?"
Peter took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, what you said about fairies. Every time someone says that, a fairy dies." Kelly bit her lip in horror over what she almost did.
"I almost murdered a fairy," she whispered. Peter helped her up and brushed off her clothes. "Is there anything else about this place that I should know about?"
They were walking again, now, and she could barely make out the blue of the water ahead. "Well," said Peter. "Every time someone in Never Land breathes, a grown-up is killed." He told this with such a passion in his voice that it startled her.
Kelly suddenly thought about her own mother and father and held her breath worriedly.
"Of course, it's only a speculation," he continued. "But I like to think that it's true."
"How dreadfully morbid," Kelly mused aloud.
"Oh, look, Mother!" he hollered, racing ahead of her. "We're here!"
The path through the forest led down to a lovely white-sand beach. The lagoon's water was a sparkling tropical blue and large, flat stones seemed to be floating in it. Then, Kelly saw the mermaids. They were lying on some of the rocks and flapping their fishtails lazily.
Peter took this opportunity to soar into the air and fly over to them. The mermaids instantly waved and shouted happily at him. Kelly stood at the tide and watched, feeling badly left out. How could he just forget her like that?
"Hey!" she called. "Peter, hey!"
He flew over with a grin. "Do you want to meet them?" he asked, picking her up without consent and setting her down on one of the rocks. Kelly watched in awe as the mermaids swam up and looked at her curiously.
"She's not as pretty as the last one you brought," one of them said as she flipped her blonde hair. Kelly's face fell.
"And not even a proper lady," another chimed in. "Her hair is down and she's in pants."
Peter was laughing from his spot in the air and this infuriated Kelly. However, she stuck out her tongue rather childishly. No egotistical half-fish was going to mortify her that easily. "Peter," she said. "I thought mermaids were supposed to be fair and beautiful. These pompous fish can't possibly be them."
"Pompous?" shrieked a mermaid.
"Fish?" howled another.
The mermaids covered their faces and swam away in separate directions. Kelly chuckled on her rock and waved goodbye. Peter landed. "I think you upset them," he said.
"Eh, they remind me of some girls at my highschool," she huffed. "I know how to deal with those kinds of people. Not as pretty as the last one, my ass." Suddenly, she felt a sharp tug on her hair and yelped in pain.
A yellow glow zipped past and Kelly recognized it as Tinkerbell. "Tink says you're rude," Peter translated with a smirk.
"I can say the same for her," Kelly grumbled, rubbing her head. "Do all fairies pull hair?"
"Some do, but Tink excels in it."
"Figures."
The fairy flew about in a fuss and pinched Kelly's skin wherever she could find it. Peter, sensing trouble, popped back into the air to observe.
"Ow!" cried Kelly. "You stupid fairy, come back here!" She lunged at the spot of light, but lost her balance and plunged into the briny water. At first, she was too distressed to move, but when she tried, it was as if someone was holding her down. Kelly's lungs burned and she fought desperately to surface until, finally, the pressure left and she was able to break the water.
Peter was holding a damp Tinkerbell in his hands and scorning her. "Why would you do such a thing, Tink? That's awful!" he upbraided. The fairy wiggled free and spat water out at his face. During this, Kelly was clinging to the side of the rock and gasping. Her mind was a little muzzy, and she couldn't stop trembling.
Tinkerbell, in a fury of bells and pixie dust, stormed off. Peter watched her leave, and then helped Kelly up.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I just need to sit still for a while," she groaned. He allowed her to lean back on him, even though her clothes were waterlogged and salty.
"You do that," Peter agreed. "And I'll make sure the mermaids don't bother you." Kelly stared at him with an odd smile.
"How gentlemanly of you," she complimented. Her eyes felt heavy, and then she napped.
~*~
Captain Hook sat down on a tree stump and blew an errant stand of midnight hair from his face. He and two others had been out since before the sun to look for the missing girl. So far, there wasn't a single sign that happened to suggest her whereabouts. Smee took a break as well and opened his liquor-filled canteen.
"I must say, Miss McClure is exceptionally elusive," he said amid gulps.
"That's putting it mildly," said the other sailor accompanying them, Bill Jukes, who was currently sharpening his cutlass on a stone. "The wench is damned invisible." Smee wagged a finger at Jukes with a tut-tut.
"Now, Mr. Jukes, there's no need to curse," he lectured.
"Fine, Mr. Smee, damn. It's not my fault we can't find the bitch," Jukes laughed. In the same instant, Hook was on his feet with his sword pointed directly at the pirate's throat. Jukes grinned toothily and put up his hands in defense.
"You're lucky I always count," Hook snarled. "Next time I'll bleed you."
"Captain, perhaps we should head back to the ship," Smee suggested. "We never did get to eat breakfast and I think you're starting to get grouchy."
Hook threw up his nose in a dignified sort of way and thrust the sword down the open path. "I say we press on, Mr. Smee," he said. "She may be just over this rise." Jukes grabbed the canteen from Smee and took a mouthful.
"You said that at the last rise," he reminded, wiping his chin. The chimes of faraway bells reached their ears all of a sudden. A small glowing ball that was unmistakably a fairy glided towards them and made circles around Hook's head.
"Look," whispered Smee. "It's Tinkerbell, Peter's pixie."
Jukes drew his weapon. "Let's eat it," he growled. Tinkerbell made an alarmed sort of ring and stood on the captain's plumed hat, hiding behind the thick feather. She leaned into his ear and began to say something in the fairy language. Hook, luckily, understood most of it.
"A girl? And she's with Peter?" he hissed sharply. "Which way?"
The fairy shook her head with a frown and continued to speak. Hook's eyes widened in horror.
"Dead?" he whispered. "She can't be dead."
Smee choked on the liquor and sputtered. "What did Tinkerbell say?" he wheezed. The pirate captain removed his hat and placed it over his chest, not saying a word.
"I do believe the captain's been possessed," Jukes said aside to Smee. Tinkerbell pointed out in front of them, gesticulating wildly.
"Yes," Hook muttered. "Let me see her."
The fairy led the three men down the forest path until finally slowing down when they reached the edge of the Mermaid Lagoon. Hook pushed ahead of Smee and Jukes and shielded his gaze from the glare of the sun. Sprawled on a rock across Peter Pan's lap, was none other than Kelly McClure. The girl's clothes and hair were soaked, and from the looks of it, she wasn't moving.
"Oh no," wept Smee. "The poor thing drowned."
Hook kneaded the bridge of his nose with an anguished groan. "This just can't be happening," he sighed, turning furiously away from the scene. "How could Pan neglect to watch over her?" Jukes threw up his shoulders in confusion.
"Can't we just get a new girl, Captain?" he proposed. Hook whirled on the man and struck him across the face with the claw.
"Don't you dare even suggest--"
"Oh my!" Smee held the captain back by his coat and pulled with all his might until a few of the seams tore. Jukes stood, stunned, and then slowly touched his bleeding cheek. The skin had been torn in a straight line, but the blood was running and beginning to soak into his shirt. Hook glowered at the man and blazed off in the direction from whence he came.
Jukes untied the bandana from around his neck and pressed it to the wound, receiving some sympathetic words from Smee as they trailed pitiably after their livid captain.
~*~
When Kelly woke, Peter was there just like he promised. He beamed, almost as if to say "You're up; I missed you!" without really saying anything at all. She couldn't, for the life of her, figure out how James could hate such an affectionate boy.
"I'm almost dry," she announced. "I'm sure we can leave." Peter burst into flight and picked her up with the greatest of ease.
"Do you want to see the redskins?" he asked. "They're a great bunch!"
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Kelly exclaimed.
"What do you mean?"
"They're Native Americans," she corrected, looking cross. "And I take offence to it because my grandfather was quarter Cherokee; I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but it is." Peter pursed his lips in thought and finally opened his mouth to speak.
"What's a Cherokee?" he inquired, landing on the beach and setting her down safely. Kelly brushed her nightclothes off.
"I can't believe we're having this discussion. Cherokee is one of the names of the Native American tribes," she clarified, but then something very strange occurred to her. "You've...always lived in Never Land...haven't you?"
Peter shifted on his heels. "Is that a bad thing?" he murmured.
"No," Kelly said. "Just...a little surprising." The two of them stared at one another for a moment, then blinked, and all was forgotten. Peter looped her arm in his with a silly smirk.
"Come on, I'll take you to see them, Mother," he said, starting to walk. But Kelly tugged him backwards sharply and glared.
"For god's sake, Peter, I am not your mother!" she cried. "I told you that earlier!"
"But the Lost Boys believe that you are," Peter disagreed. He paused suddenly, and then took her hands in his. "I...believe that you are." Kelly tore from his grasp and took a few paces backwards. She couldn't be a mother; she just couldn't. She was just barely old enough to drive, and now some group of boys wanted to make her a responsible adult?
"I won't have it," she said furiously, folding her arms across her chest. "If there's one thing I will never be forced to become, it's an adult."
Peter was absolutely struck by this, and for the longest time he was silent. "An adult?" he finally whimpered. "We're not asking you to become an adult. We're just asking you to look over us a bit, and tell us stories, and care for us when we're ill. Oh, please, it would mean so much to me and the boys."
Kelly started chewing a perfectly good nail. There was no rhyme of reason to Never Land, or to Peter, or to any of his words. She felt herself coming down with a headache. "Let me take a walk," she sighed. "I'll decide, and then I'll come and find you."
"Sounds fair enough," concurred Peter. A grin twitched on Kelly's lips.
"You're entirely too trusting of people," she said.
"Is there a reason I shouldn't trust you?"
She shrugged lackadaisically and began to walk away from him. "For all you know," she implied, "I could be with Hook." Peter gave a resounding "Ha!" and shook his head.
"I don't think so," he assured. "You don't look the part."
As Kelly wandered up the path from the beach, leaving Peter behind for the time being, she wondered if he was right.
~*~
Cecco, a tall young man with a shock of blonde hair, stood beside the door to his captain's private quarters. Hook had earlier locked himself in and ordered no one to enter, or even knock for that matter. The attitude on the ship was, to put it lightly, confused; Smee most of all.
It didn't make any sense to him how the girl could have drowned with Pan so close. The boy was naïve, but certainly not stupid.
"Mr. Smee," called Cecco in his Italian accent. "When do you think Captain will be about?"
"I'm not entirely sure," the other replied. "He took a fine jolt this afternoon; might take a while."
"Do you think he's all right in there?"
The two men shared expressions of anxiety and promptly pressed their ears to the wooden door. Sounds of heavy footfalls could be heard from inside. Cecco eased up a little. "Pacing," said Smee. "He does it all the time."
"What happened?"
"You remember the girl we took a couple of days ago, don't you?"
"Of course," said Cecco. "And then the Lost Boys got her."
Smee nodded and continued. "Yes, well, she drowned in the Mermaid Lagoon. Tinkerbell showed us," he told, his sorrow apparent. Cecco frowned and snapped his fingers.
"What shall we do?" he asked.
"It's up to Captain."
"Speaking of Captain," Cecco interrupted. "The footsteps are gone." Smee listened against the door, and then his eyebrows rose in alarm. Indeed, the room behind it was quiet as anything. "You don't suppose he's done something drastic, do you?" Cecco asked carefully.
In the same instant, they beat the door open and rushed inside. Hook was gone, and the shutters of the window were untied. "He's run off," Smee said. "Well, doesn't that beat all?"
~*~
Kelly couldn't remember a time when she was more at peace with everything. The birds were chirping in the trees, the sun was shining, a breeze was blowing, and she was in the middle of it all. She twirled daintily, wishing again that she had kept the dress on. The moment would have been all too Snow White. Actually, she found herself comparing a lot of Never Land to Snow White, and she couldn't really tell why.
Her stomach was doing flip-flops by the time she stumbled upon a berry bush. Kelly shoved as many into her mouth as possible and chewed until her jaw ached. She was smiling, however. The flavor was something of a strawberry, but not as sweet; not like it mattered, though, because she was too hungry to care.
At last, she was full again and ready to head back to the Tree. Kelly figured she would attempt to care for the boys and Peter, just as long as they didn't treat her like a mother. She wished to be thought as more of an older sister. Perhaps Peter would understand that.
The smell of thick smoke reached her nostrils. There must've been some sort of camp nearby. "Maybe I'm close to the Native Americans," she pondered aloud, a little surprised to hear her own voice amidst the trees. And then, without warning, the ground spun out from underneath of her and she came crashing to the forest floor.
Kelly scrambled up on all fours and crawled in a random direction. Even when she closed her eyes, she was still disoriented. After colliding with a few trees, she was able to scuttle in a relatively straight line. Nausea struck hard and sent her staggering into something soft and warm. She didn't dare look to see what it was.
Gentle arms engulfed and protected her. The urge to fall asleep and never wake up was settling in, but a deep voice rumbled, "Stay awake, little girl. We, the mighty warrior redskins, will cure you."
"Well...I'll be...damned," Kelly slurred as she reeled into oblivion.
~*~
Coming in Chapter Four - The Indians aid Kelly, Peter gets worried, and Hook suspects murder.
A/N: First of all, sorry for all the profanity. Secondly, this chapter, by far, was the hardest to write (and that's saying something because there's only three), but I swear I'll end up finishing this. I've got the plot all worked out in my head (somewhat), and I just need to put it all into words. It might end up being around eight to ten chapters...I'm not sure. In any case, the next installment should be neat to write, so it should be longer. Again, THANK YOU to all of my reviewers! You guys keep me going!