As they approached Neverland, Peter decided to take Amy by a different route. He did not want to chance Captain Hook finding out about the new mother --at least, not so soon. The old codfish tended to attempt to either do away with, or charm the mothers Peter brought home, and Peter did not want to take the chance of that happening again.
"I should warn you about Captain Hook," Peter had told her as they flew toward the second star to the right. "He'll try to charm you away, making promices, then finding a way around them. He can't be trusted. Twice he's promiced not to harm me --once to Tink, and once to Jane-- and both times he found a way to keep the promice and still try to kill me."
"I kinda figured that," Amy answered. "My grandmother used to tell stories about you, and she always stressed what a villian Hook was. Don't worry; I won't let him trick me into anything."
"Good," Peter smiled. For a long time, they flew in silence, each lost in his or her own thoughts.
"Owwch!" Amy suddenly cried.
"What is it?" Peter asked, turning toward her. "What's wrong?"
"Tiger's clawing me. I don't think he likes flying. He's certainly not used to it."
Peter frowned, then dipped his hand into the pouch of Healing Dust that Dusty gave him. While the dust worked better when mixed with water, small doses of the glittering powder would also do in a pinch. Peter was about to apply the dust, when something made him stop. He blushed when he thought of where he was about to rub the dust: Right on her chest!
"Uhh...if you let me hold Tiger, you can put this on the scratches. It's Healing Dust, made by a pixie named Dusty. It'll heal the scratches up in no time." Peter gulped and blushed again.
Amy handed him Tiger, while he gave her the dust. Turning around so that she could have some privacy applying the dust to her scratches, Peter kept himself occupied by playing with the kitten.
Tiger found himself in the hands of the boy he had met earlier. And he was still uncomfortibly high up in the sky. Tiger tried to scratch Peter in an attempt to remedy the situation. But Peter held him, carefully but firmly. When Tiger found that he could not scratch the boy, he looked up into Peter's chocolate-brown eyes and uttered a tiny "mew".
"Tiger's not giving you any trouble, is he?" Amy asked.
"No," Peter answered. "He's okay. Just scared. But we should be in Neverland soon. It won't be long until he's on solid ground again."
"Okay. I'm done, now. Let's continue on."
Peter turned around, and noticed that Amy had spread the glittering dust not only on her wounds, but a little past the neckline of her tank top. The dust gave her a sparkling, almost angelic look.
"Uhh...Oh!" Peter gave her back Tiger. "He might be more comfortable with you than with me."
"Thanks," Amy smiled, taking the kitten back into her hands. They continued to fly until they came upon Neverland.
Amy followed Peter to an old, gnarled tree with a rope in a hangman's noose hanging from it. She shuddered at the sight, the tree and the noose together giving her a creepy feeling. But she did not have time to worry about it, as Peter entered a hole in the top. Amy followed Peter into the hole.
She slid down a slide, then bounced on a fur-covered bed, finally ending up sprawled on the bed. Peter was standing next to the bed.
"Petra; Lost Boys; FALL IN!" Peter commanded. Instantly, a girl dressed in clothes simular to Peter's, and boys of different shapes and sizes, dressed in: A fox's skin; a rabbit's pelt; raccoon skins (there were two of these!); a bear's skin; and a skunk's pelt appeared in a line before them, all saluting their leader. Peter saluted them back. "Sound off!" he commanded.
"Petra Pan!"
"Slightly!"
"Nibs!"
"The Twins!"
"Cubby!"
"And he's Toodles!" Slightly added, pointing at the boy in the skunk pelt.
"Everyone," Peter said, "this is Amy Rhines. She' going to be our new mother."
The boys rushed over to Amy, only to be confronted by a small, golden striped little animal.
"And that's Golden Tiger," Peter smiled. "Amy's cat."
Causiously, the boys approached Amy and her kitten, each attempting to get a closer look at the little furball. Tiger sniffed and licked their fingers when the reached over to pet him. These boys were like the other one, and the kitten "mewed" its acceptance. Then, seeing that he was once more on solid ground, Tiger lept out of Amy's arms and began exploring the underground home.
A squall from Peter's room attacted their attention. Petra ran into the room, then reemerged moments later with a small, blonde-haired girl.
"I've been trying to get her to sleep," Petra explained. "She's been like this ever since she found out that you weren't here." She handed the child to Peter.
"And this little lady is Marzi Pan," Peter smiled at Amy. As soon as the baby realized who held her, she quieted down.
"Hello, there, Marzi," Amy smiled as she spoke to the little girl. "My name is Amy." Marzi just stuck her thumb in her mouth and clung closer to Peter, not sure of what to make of the new girl.
"I guess she's not as used to me as we thought," Petra said to Peter.
"Well, she'll have plenty of time to get used to everybody, now," Peter answered.
"Let's see about fixing something to eat," Amy said. "You all look like you're hungry."
The Lost Boys' faces lit up when they heard that, giving her vigorious nods of their heads in anticipation.
"Alright," she replied. "But first, I need a place to work, and some food to work with."
At that, the boys were outside and running around the island, searching for anything Amy could use to make their dinner. Meanwhile, Petra helped Amy set up an area for a kitchen. By the time the boys had returned, they had everything set up and looking like a decent kitchen. Well, an old-fashioned kitchen.
After a meal of broiled fish, nuts, and fruit, the children settled down for a bedtime story. Amy sat in front of them, Peter with Marzi on one side of their new mother, Petra on the other.
"I'm sure you all know the story of Cinderella," Amy began. Peter and the Lost Boys nodded. "But did you know that there are more than one story about Cinderella?" Here, the boys shook their heads, each wondering what Amy was talking about.
"Well, this version comes from ancient Egypt, and is a least five thousand years older than Cinderella." The childern gasped. They did not know there was stories older than the ones they already knew. They all fixed their eyes upon Amy, waiting for her to begin the story.
Next: Chapter 4: The Rose Slipper. Amy tells the story of the Cinderella of ancient Egypt.
