"We weren't doing it for you sir, if you'll forgive me saying," the girl's voice rang out. "But Hook overstepped himself this time."
"And you took it upon yourself to discipline him, didn't you?" the old man sighed. "You never cease to amaze me, Eric, you really don't."
"Course not. Can't have that changing, now can we?" The three children – Ray, Eric, and the boy who looked like Peter – all laughed at that, as though it were a great joke. "Things aren't supposed to change." Eric's eyes were serious, though a smile still played about her lips. She directed her burning gaze at Wendy for just a moment, but Wendy was sure that last comment had referred to her.
The old man sighed. "Of course, of course. Dare I ask how James has
overstepped himself?"
"Chucked me brother in the sea, sir. Net and rocks and all. Not sporting,
that."
"Why do I get the idea you plan to return the favour?"
Eric frowned for a minute, then swiftly kicked Hook in the head. The pirate's head fell foreword, and together Eric and Ray flew towards the old man. Wendy bit back a protest. This girl was easily her own age, yet she acted like she was still a child. Not sporting, she had said? What was 'sporting' about kicking a helpless opponent like that?
They dropped Hook in a pile on the deck and saluted the old man. The boy who looked like Peter flew lightly to join them, and did likewise.
Eric spoke quietly to the man for a few minutes, so low the Wendy couldn't hear. The man's gaze swept over the pirates and the boys, resting once or twice on Wendy, but never touched Eric or Ray, or even the boy that looked like Peter. Finally he nodded.
"I suppose this has all been very strange for some of you. Perhaps I can help." He wasn't yelling, but his voice carried clearly through the crowd, carried by the weight of its own authority. "My name, which I suppose only a few of you remember, is Jack Roberts. Captain Roberts, as it were, though some of my crew disagreed." His slow nod took in Hook, lying in a crumpled heap on the deck. Unbidden, Ray's words came back to Wendy. 'Roberts was thrown down…'
A few of the pirates shuffled their feet guiltily. "I suppose my name is no longer in the book? No matter. Perhaps we are not as eternal as we think." He pulled himself back from his reverie with obvious effort. "You all know Peter, I suppose?" The boy who looked like Peter waved cheerily to the boys, who broke into lusty, if half disbelieving, cheers. Wendy could only stare. Roberts looked at him thoughtfully. "You always did like to be the centre of things, Peter."
"Yes sir," Peter responded, deferent for once. Wendy felt her knees give way beneath her, and she sat heavily on the deck. How…?
"Ah, and I suppose a number of you know Ray." Ray bowed, flourishing the hat he had just whipped off Hook's head. "But I wonder how many of you remember Eric?" Silence greeted this. Slowly, a few of the boys filed up to just below the railing.
Most of the boys had curiosity or bafflement painted on their faces, but these few held only wonder.
"We thought you were dead," one of the twins said.
"Saw you go down," the other one added. "Leastwise, we thought we did."
"An' you never came back?" demanded Starkey.
Eric shrugged. "Peter wanted the job."
"But you were our chief." Suddenly, for the first time all day, pieces began to fall together in Wendy's mind. Ray blamed her for the changes in the Lost Boys, but Peter blamed Eric. She'd abandoned them all.
She stood and made her way slowly up onto the quarterdeck. "You… you're the reason everything is going wrong," she said, thrusting her face in front of Eric's. Up close, the other girl was taller than she, as tall as Peter. "You and him. You're traitors. Pirates." She hissed the last word.
Eric raised her hand, and for a moment Wendy thought she was going to slap her. Eric obviously thought so too, from the look of surprise that flashed across her face when Peter grabbed her arm.
"Eric, please. This is our mother, Wendy. She takes care of us." The concern in his face touched Wendy. So he did remember her name. He even cared about her.
Eric's scowl deepened to a frown. "Mother…" she said quietly. "Mother Wendy." The muscles in her forearm relaxed, although only slightly. "I ought to slap you, Pete, for bringing her here." She turned back to Wendy, opening her mouth to say something, but then changed her mind. She shook her head ruefully and snatched her hand out of Peter's grip, then walked to the rail. Turning, just once to gaze at the silent group that still stared at her, she shook her head again. Then she spat, the spittle flying through the air in a disgusting gob to land a few inched in front of Wendy's feet. Wendy edge away, staring in horror.
When she looked up again, Eric was gone, flying over Neverland and disappearing amongst the trees.