Chapter Three: Four Years Later….

From her cozy seat in front of her well-kept vanity set, Jane Darling watched out her opened window as night swallowed the snowy streets of London. The streetlights were long dimmed out, and the last buggy she had spotted rocking down her street was but half an hour ago. The city was dying down now for the evening, she recognized. But she, herself, did not feel dead at all. Sleep would not take her away, and she knew it. She'd be well awake for hours on end, since today was the day that marked her 13th birthday. The marking day in which she became a young lady, almost a full-fledged woman. Spotting no more excitement prowling through the streets, Jane swiveled back around in her chair to stare at her reflection in the mirror. She was pleased with what was staring back at her. She smiled at the long, dirty blonde curls falling in loose ringlets over her chest, her pretty lips the color of crushed strawberries, light and delicate. And her snowy white face, it's color a rather peachy white tone. Perfect. If everything had appeared perfect, why did her heart cry " unhappiness! Depression! "? What, exactly was wrong with this lovely image?

"I've lost my touch,"

Jane sighed aloud to herself, lifting her bottom off the chair over to the opposite side of the room where her beloved rocking chair was stationed. The rocking chair always had the power to heal, she felt, now placing herself gingerly upon it's padding. She felt so alone in the world now for some unfortunate reason. She felt as if large chunks of her secret life were missing and she would never discover what that secret withheld.

Even though the lights in all of the duplicate houses were out now, the stars up in the sky appeared as diamonds, shimmering upon black velvet that was the black darkness of space emitting bright beams of light. Jane absolutely adored stargazing; everything about it seemed so enchanting on her behalf. It gave her a sense of tranquility, a time to indulge in dreams and fantasy matters… something she could never carry out during school hours or teatime with aunts or her mother. To mother, teatime was grownup time. And when it was time to act like a grownup, all of its agents befuddled Jane so. She didn't notice at first that her mother, Mrs. Darling was carefully observing her from a tight crack in her bedroom door. Finally, Mrs. Darling decided to announce her presence.

" Jane? Are you asleep my precious?" her grandmotherly like voice asked through that same slit in the door.

"Mum, you act like I am still a child! I am a young lady as you endlessly remind me! Don't you remember it?"

Wendy felt guilt flash through her mind for a moment. She was remembering now, how many times her own father would tell her to grow up already. Now, she was telling her own daughter to do so. It was much more then she could bear.

"Well, will you allow your own mother to come into your bedroom and wish you a happy birthday before you go to sleep?"

Jane's eyes were still searching beyond the stars for answers. However, she decided to make an exception and allow her mother to join her in her room.

"Fine, fine, come in."

" Jane?"

"Yes mother?"

Mrs. Darling's expression showed fear as she stood over her star struck child.

"How are you feeling?"

Jane was confused.

"I am not sick, mum," she answered, not looking at her. Mrs. Darling kept her eyes on her daughter still.

"You seem out of our universe lately. Like you're dreaming of a world of your own."

Maybe she was right. Jane wouldn't confirm it though.

" I just don't understand it, mother," she finally revealed in childish whispers.

"Is this the only thing that we all wish to live for? Do we just wake up, go to school, go back home, and sleep? Until, we.. Die?"

Sighing, Wendy Darling soaked in all of this like a wise, yellow sponge. But she was afraid that Jane would crowd her with so many of these life like questions, she'd become only overly saturated with worry.

"Jane, you must understand that as we all lead our normal lives, we discover the magic within everything. We discover the true meaning of life as we wake up each and every morning. And we wake up every morning, to find out what those special things are. They might take the form of adventure, or in a book, or in a piece of paper we use to write our sentences at school. But whatever it may be, it will always find you, and you, will always, find it."

Jane stared down at her two bare feet to take in all of her mother's words of wisdom. Her long hair began to burden her as it fell in thick wisps over her face, but when she decided to brush it away, Mrs. Darling took the liberty in doing so and did it with care. She suddenly felt sad for her mother. She felt sad that she had to watch over her every day so no harm would get in her way, that she be properly fed, clothed, proper education. Everything! And in return, all Jane could offer her were complaints on everything. The sudden will to grow and finally become a woman swept Jane off her feet, leading her to the satin sheets of her comfy four-poster. She needed time to rest. Mrs. Darling understood this, and left Jane with a planted kiss on her forehead, disappearing behind her wooden door and down the staircase to lead on her own affairs.

Jane fumbled and fiddled around with the sheets, trying to sweep them over the mattress so she could slide herself in. just thinking of what mother said brought irritation to her eyes.

"She may say what she want, but surely I'll never listen!" she grumbled to herself finally tucked under the comfort of the covers. Her body searched for a nook in the sheets for the night, but tossing and turning took its place instead. Over and over Jane rolled about, head twirling with thoughts of dismay and sheer disapproval of growing old. But she realized time was ticking her life away now, one day leading her into her old ages…and then… what she feared the worst… tears stung Jane's eyes, taking their stab at her heart as she thought more and more of dying some day. She tried her best to hide her silent sobs under her sheets as she turned away from the door, letting the see through tears stream down her cheeks and form puddles upon her pillow.

The window was still wide open, and now violent blasts of wind made their way through the opening into Jane's room, causing her to shiver under her sheets. She was too upset to even budge from her place under the covers, so she let the continuous blowing add to the salty tears flowing from her eyes. She'd let that wind blow with all its might, she'd let it even upset her more and give her many more shivers under her bedcovers. But the crying wouldn't subside. She never wanted to be a woman. She never wanted to grow old and die. She wished, with all her heart and soul, weeping harder, that somebody would come and rescue from the terrible life she would wake up tomorrow morning to and waste.

Wish… granted.

Another nasty gust of wind pounced into Jane's window, but it brought along a little gift with it for the little crying girl alone in the bed. A 5"3 tall, rather muscular figure illuminated the opening in the window, letting his shadow bounce off of him onto the ground as he scanned the room for any movement other then Jane Darling's. Tink missiled into the room towards the bed, placing herself upon the headboard of the four-poster waiting for further instruction by peter. He focused his fearsome green eyes now on the contents of the bed. He left his spot on the windowsill and flew through the air appearing weightless, to peek into the covers to see the little girl once more. Peter was expecting the same, vivacious ball of energy that had accompanied him to his world, but he was in for an eye-popping surprise. As he carefully inched closer towards the bed, a serious of doggy like weeps emitted from under the orange satin causing him a step back in alert. "Why is Jane crying?" He wondered to himself. He took another step forward towards the bed again, his forehead raised and whole body alert. Finally, he asked, " girl, why are you crying?" Jane thought she heard a boy's child like voice speak to her moments ago. Was it real? She bolted upright in her bed and was nearly ready to scream as a dirty hand clamped shut over her lips, trying to forestall her fright. Her petrified, rounded eyes speared into Peter's as he raised his hand over his bed and whispered a couple words to some inanimate object she could not see. "Who is this boy talking to?" was all that floated through her mind at the moment. Suddenly, without any notice, a sparkly, ray of light beamed over her head from her bed top and finally sat on it, wriggling around up there having it's fun frolicking about in her curls. Jane tried moving her mouth in protest, but the boy held on to it even tighter so nothing would escape from her lips. Why was he doing this to her? Her fear evolved to curiosity as his golden spiky hair and his piercing, but yet soft, mellow green eyes captured her attention. His beautiful green eyes having her heart right then and there, however. She, herself wasn't doing all of the observing though; the boy too, was deeply searching her hazel colored eyes, then moving from there to her curly ringlets with a look of excitement and confusion as to why he was seeing what he was seeing.

Peter couldn't believe his two eyes at this girl staring back at him. Certainly, this could not be the same Jane Darling! The last he had seen of her was the evening he left her in her bed, all warm and tucked in. perhaps, she grew?

She looks just as Wendy did, but with something else within her. Some other quality that Wendy never possessed is in this one, he thought to himself with interest as he still focused on Jane. Having enough nonsense going on in her nursery, Jane seized Peter's free arm and yanked it off of her mouth.

"Who are you and what do you want from me!" she hissed at him, glaring. He had absolutely no RIGHT to be clamming her mouth shut! She would be allowed to speak whenever she pleased and that was the end of that!

As he listened to Jane say this, his shoulders fell , his curiousity failing him. She indeed, forgot all about him and the adventures the both of them had in Never land. He didn't understand how Jane could forget everything. He just stared at her sadly, ready to roll up in a ball upon the floor and cry his heart away. He would just return to Never land with Tink, and Tink alone. He had come for something, but would end up with nothing. Jane Darling, was growing up.