Chapter 16: Popcorn Party

"I was thinking of making some popcorn and having a popcorn party," Amy announced one day. Peter and the boys gathered around her, the pixies fluttering around their companions. Marzi stood in front of Peter, holding his hands.

"'Popcorn'?" Peter asked. "Where are you going to get it?"

"Well, I still have some money from the 'real world', so we could go to a store somewhere in California and get some."

"Well," Peter thought aloud, "if you know where to get the popcorn, I'll go with you."

Amy looked at Peter, dressed as he always was in green, his elf ears poking out from his sunset hair, and tan "pixie shoes" on his feet. And the dagger at his belt.

"Well...no offence, Peter, but that is not the look of your average twelve year old boy," Amy gestured with her hand to indicate his clothes.

"What's wrong with the way I dress?" he frowned, looking down at his attire.

"Nothing," Amy replied. "How about this: Why don't we see if you can pass as a normal boy?"

"'Normal'?" Peter eyed her questioningly. "Me?"

"I know you aren't a normal boy, Peter," Amy replied. "But if you had to, could you pretend to be a normal boy, and make those around you believe you were just a regular kid?"

"I can do anything!" Peter insisted. "And we've got the clothes to do it with, too!"

Nibs, Slightly, and Cubby drug out a large chest and openned it up. Inside, was piles of clothes from almost every century and decade possible. Peter rummaged around in the chest and brought out several items of clothing. Then, he went to his room to change his clothes.

When Peter came out, he wore a green baseball cap, a green t-shirt, blue jeans with a brown belt, white socks, and a pair of red sneakers. His hair was combed over his ears, hiding the pointed tips. To anyone who did not know him, Peter looked as ordinary as the next boy.

"Very nice, Peter!" Amy commented. He grinned his thanks, then began to remove his dagger and sheath from his regular belt, intending to transfer them to his new belt.

"Leave the knife here, Peter," Amy said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Weapons are not a good idea in the real world," she answered. "Especially in a store. Anyone sees that dagger, the first thing they'll think of is that you're there to rob the place."

"I'd never do that!" Peter protested.

"I know you wouldn't, but people out there don't. Best to simply leave the knife at home. And besides," she gave him a smile, "I don't have enough money for bail if you land in jail."

"Okay," Peter laughed. "You've made your point. I won't take my dagger with me."

"Thank you," Amy smiled back. "Now, dearest, if you are ready, we need to go."

"Okay. See you guys later." Peter, Amy, and Tinker Bell left the underground house and made their way to the "real world".

*~*~*

It was nearly daybreak when they arrived in a small town in California. Amy and Peter landed in a small forest, well-hidden from vehicles passing by on the nearby road.

"We'll have to stay here until this afternoon," Amy told her companions. "It may be the time of year when kids are in school, and if we show up at the store too early, people may get suspecious."

"Okay," Peter agreed. "But what will we do in the meantime? Being in one place for hours is boring."

"Well, I could tell you a story from my school days. Though, how such a tale stacks up to your wonderful adventures, I don't know."

"It will be just as wonderful," Peter smiled at her. He watched as she checked her pink wallet to count the money she had.

"Let's see...after saving up over several months, what little money I didn't spend on food and other things, I have now a grand total of...three hundred dollars! This is months and months and months of saving my change after expenses, of course."

"Of course," Peter smiled.

"Well, we'd better sit down," she said, removing her backpack. "It'll be a long wait." Both sat down on a fallen log to wait until the afternoon.

They filled the time with stories and talk. Tinker Bell was hidden in Amy's backpack, which was open enough to give her air. Every once in a while, she would jingle, letting them know her opinion on whatever they were talking about.

At noon, they had their lunch, which Amy had packed in her backpack. Then, there was more talk to finish off the two or three hours that were left until they could enter the store like normal kids.

Finally, however, the time came to go to the store. Amy slipped her backpack on her back, and boy and girl walked toward the store.

The store was a small convience store, where travelers could go in and get things they forgot, and the regualar grocery stores were closed.

Peter and Amy wandered the asiles, where Amy picked out several bags of popcorn, a couple of bottles of popcorn seasoning, some candy for a treat, and a bottle each of chocolate and strawberry syrup for the poe-poe --or milk-- the boys drank. She also got some emergency items, including a new first aid kit.

Peter, meanwhile, had gone to investigate something that had caught his eye, and then came back, asking Amy for some quarters.

"Sure," she replied, fishing some out of her pocket and giving them to him. "But why?"

"I found something to play," he grinned. She watched as the boy returned from the direction he had come. Amy just shrugged, and went to pay for her purchaces. She then went to look for him.

She found Peter where he loved to be --namely, the center of attention. He stood before a video game machine, he feet apart and his eyes focused on the screen in front of him. Several kids --both boys and girls-- stood around the game, watching him play.

Beside him was another boy, apparently his opponent for the game. The boy was a little taller than Peter, with light-brown hair. He wore the typical t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers as he and Peter tested their skill at the game.

When she managed to catch the name of the game, Amy saw that the machine read "Jurassic Park III". That meant that Peter and the other boy was using light guns to "shoot" at computer-generated dinosaurs. As she approached, Amy could hear the boys getting into the game, pretending to be partners in fighting the huge creatures running amok in the imaginary park.

"These raptors are everywhere!" the taller boy exclaimed. He shot at a man-sized dinosaur leaping towards them on the screen.

"I know, Jake!" Peter answered, managing to "kill" two of the monsters as they charged the two players.

"Don't forget to reload, Pete!" Jake commented, pausing a moment to point his weapon at the ground and pulling the trigger. This "reloaded" the virtual gun.

"Right!" Peter replie, doing the same.

Amy smiled to herself. As he often did when telling a story, Peter was getting into the action of the tale. Both he and Jake now "told" the story of their heroics as defenders against the onslaught of the prehistoric monsters.

Soon, however, the game was over as the boys defeated the final level. When the last credit had finished rolling and the screen went blank to reset the game for the next players, Peter and Jake grinned at each other. At the exact same moment, they holstered the guns in their spots in front of the game.

Their audience applauded the performance. Peter and Jake said their goodbyes, for Peter and Amy had to get home. Their friends were waiting for a popcorn party.

Amy glanced at the screen, which was showing the high scores. Her eyes went wide, but she did not say anything. She wondered what anyone else who saw it would think.

The name beside the extremely high score was "PeterPan".

*~*~*

As Amy prepared the popcorn for the party, Peter retold the "tale" of the game he had played with Jake, relating the story with his own sense of style and flair. The boys trembled in fear and excitement as their leader discribed the giant monsters and how the creatures attacked the two players.

"I wonder what Jake and the others will think when they see the name next to the highest score," Amy commented, pouring the popped corn into a large bowl, then prepared another batch of the fluffy treat.

"Why?" Nibs asked.

"Yeah, why?" Cubby put in.

"He put his own name on the score. How do you think that's going to look?"

"Let them wonder," Peter smiled. He gave her a kiss as he took a handfull of popcorn from the bowl and started eatting it.

Amy just shook her head as she served the refreshments and the popcorn party got underway. Peter Pan did things his own way, with his own style. It was what made him Peter Pan.

And Amy was glad of it.


Next: Chapter 17: Diaries. Peter and Amy write in their journals, and their thoughts and feelings about each other are revealed.