When Erin put her hand down, something cold and slippery greeted her fingertips. A nest of large brown speckled eggs lay in the branch, and Erin could tell by the smell that the eggs had gone bad. An idea was forming in her mind. Looking around in her tree, Erin saw that there were dozens of identical nests. She hefted a round egg in her hand, and was suddenly reminded of playing baseball with her friends in Central Park.before Sharon had broken up all of her friendships and scattered the pieces like shards of shattered glass.but there was no time for memories and regrets, not now. "Hey.Jon!" Erin hissed, shaking the branch to get his attention. "The nests . . . they're all over. We'll throw rotten eggs at the Indians!" Jon shook his branch in approval and passed her idea along to all the other boys. "Ready . . . set . . . go!" A storm of rotten eggs flew out of the trees. The Indian braves didn't know what the slimy, foul smelling mess that hit them was. It got in their eyes and they instinctively ran towards the trees, dropping their spears and arrows on the ground. They wailed in confusion, bumping into each other, lying on the ground and kicking their legs in the air. Eggs continued to shoot from the trees, and the Indians scattered. Even though it must have only been a few minutes, it felt like hours passed before the clearing was silent. The only evidence that there had ever been a battle was the spears and arrows lying forgotten on the ground and the stench of rotten eggs. Erin scrambled down the tree to see if Tucker was all right. She knelt by him to check his pulse, her own pulse quickening as she saw the gray pallor of his face. A shadow passed over her and she looked up. Her heart quailed at the sight of another Indian, unnaturally tall and wearing an elaborate feathered headdress. "Me big chief Great Big Little Panther . Heap big mad. You stole Tiger Lily. Tiger Lily mine. Big Chief Great Big Little Panther get heap big mad. Indian braves try to get Tiger Lily back. You give Tiger Lily to Big Chief Great Big Little Panther before 3 sunsets. Or else!" The native held up something small and sparkly. "Tinkerbell!" Erin breathed with horror. "But I . . . we . . . Tiger Lily . . ." Erin protested as Chief Great Big Little Panther (*A/N* That's his real name, it's in the book!) turned away. Before he disappeared into the trees, he turned around, pointing a long, accusing finger at Erin. She shuddered as he whispered in a venomous voice that carried all the way across the clearing. "Three sunsets!"

". . . And so, he said that we have 3 sunsets to get Tiger Lily back to him. Or else they're going to do something terrible to Tinkerbell!" Erin finished explaining what Chief Great Big Little Panther had told her. The boys, even Tucker who was wincing with pain, were silent. "But we don't even know where Tiger Lily is!" Jon burst out. "Well, still, having three days sunsets to find Tiger Lily is better than being dead, isn't it? I mean, if it weren't for Erin and his ability to keep a clear head, we would all be in Tink's situation," said Jack. "Yeah, he really saved the day!" said either Daniel or Charlie; Erin couldn't tell which twin was which. Erin's mind swirled. His.he? Then, all at once, she realized what they were talking about. They thought that she was the boy. They thought that a boy had saved their skins. And she was afraid to find out what would happen if she told them the truth. "I have to go and get some fresh air." Erin gasped. What would they do to her if they found out she wasn't a boy? Erin took a deep breath as she sat down on a stump. A twig cracked behind her and she looked back over her shoulder. It was only Winston. He sat down on the grass by the stump, with a heavy sigh. "I know." "Know what?" "Erin, you're not a boy. You're a girl. They don't think that girls belong here!" "But I . . . do they know?" "No, of course not. Only I guessed." "But I saved their skins. They even know it!" "Yeah, but . . ."

"But what?" "But you're a girl. Because of Ella.ah, I mean.they just don't think that you're as good as they are. Even though you did save us all." "Are you going to tell them?" "No. You deserve . . . you deserve a chance, at least after what you did for us." Erin was surprised to see that Winston was blushing. He got up abruptly and turned to go inside to the hideout. Erin hid her face in her hands. If she could find Tiger Lily in 3 sunsets and save all of them, would they accept her for who she was?

*** A/N*** PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top. Thanks =) ******