Chapter 5: Come With Me

Wendy stood at the front steps for the longest time. She knew that once she knocked on the old wooden door, her nightmare would begin.

After a few minutes she decided to get it over with and knocked three times.

A few seconds later the door opened very slowly to reveal a young boy.

"Slightly!" Wendy exclaimed happily. She had forgotten about him with all of the turmoil going on. She felt a little better knowing that he would be with her for the next few months. He looked somewhat different from the last time she saw him. Which was the night Wendy and the boys had been brought back home. He used to have a tan from the Neverland sun, he was quite dirty and his hair was wild. Now his skin had faded to a very pale complexion, he was as clean as whistle and his hair was brushed back respectfully.

Once Slightly realised who it was, he smiled and ran out from behind the door to embrace Wendy in a warm hug. Wendy looked rather different. He had last seen her the night they arrived back in London. Which was three years ago. Back then she had rosy cheeks from the excitement of her time in Neverland. She had bright blue eyes, filled with love and happiness. Her red lips were always ready to tell stories of joy and adventure. Now her cheeks were only red from the coldness of the winter air. Her eyes looked lost, alone and miserable. And her lips looked like they hadn't told a story in quite a long time.

"Oh Wendy, I've missed you and the lads so much." He said happily with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"Oh we've missed you to." Replied Wendy returning the hug.

"How are the boys anyway?" asked Slightly who had let go of Wendy and was now staring up at her.

She didn't know what to say, because the last thing that had happened before she left, was the boys teasing her cruelly. So she decided to forget all about the morning's events and gave him an answer in general.

"Oh well – they miss you of course – and they can still be perfectly horrid little creatures – but I love them all the same." Wendy said trying to make her words believable. However it wasn't such a hard task, as she was speaking the truth.

The next thing she knew, Aunt Millicent had appeared at the door.

"Oh Wendy. How are you my child?" asked Aunt Millicent hugging her rather tightly, for a woman who was always so restrained.

"Come in and sit by the fire. It is starting to get quite chilly out here." She said rubbing her hands together. "Slightly, help Wendy with her luggage dear."

She then picked up her velvety dark-green dress and walked gracefully back into the house.

"It's okay Wendy. You go inside. I'll get your things." Slightly said sweetly.

"Why thankyou. You've become a real gentleman." Wendy said kindly.

However, as she said these words, she noticed the smile on his face fade.

"Yes a real gentleman." He said repeating her words, as he looked down at the steps. It seemed as if he was reminiscing of when he was young and roaming freely through the forests of Neverland, and now he was older and caged up in a boring old house filled with books and studying.

Wendy walked into the hallway and looked around. She then quickly ran after her Aunt, but slowed down once she got closer to the room her Aunt had entered. Wendy walked as gracefully as she possibly could, into the room where her Aunt was sitting up straight in a large chair near the fire.

She stopped at the door and waited for her Aunt to signal for her to sit down.

"Wendy don't loiter around the door, it's not lady-like. Come sit down." Aunt Millicent said in an annoyed tone.

Wendy walked quickly over to sit in the chair opposite from her Aunt. In between the two chairs sat a little table, which was laid out with a white tablecloth, and tea and biscuits sat on top.

Hmm! Already starting to make me a woman. Thought Wendy.

She stared at her Aunt waiting for her to say something.

"Wendy don't stare it's not polite, especially while someone is about to eat." Aunt Millicent said lifting her teacup to her lips.

Where else am I supposed to look then? If I stare at the food, she'll think I'm a pig. And if I stare around the room she'll think I'm ignoring her. Thought Wendy not knowing what to do, but nodded her head anyway to show that she was listening.

Aunt Millicent seemed to read her thoughts, because at that exact moment she said, "Always downcast your eyes into your tea-cup when you take a sip from it, and while replacing it back onto the plate, you must keep your eyes still downcast. When you are not having tea, place your hands in your lap with the right hand over-lapping your left and look down at your lap. Otherwise people will think you're quite rude."

Wendy was dumbfounded. Was her Aunt seriously saying that your eyes had to be a certain way when you're eating, if you didn't want to look like a complete fool?

"Now when it comes to conversation topics, you must always start off with staring straight into the person's eyes, then you start up a conversation about family, or something that has no great significance. Just your basic gossip. That means no story telling etc. Your father did mention that you were still a little wild." Said Aunt Millicent rather harshly at the end.

Wendy chose to ignore this comment and continued to nod her head in agreement, which only brought more hurtful comments from her Aunt.

"Wendy I do wish you would stop nodding your head. It makes you look ridiculous and it looks like it will fall off any minute."

"Yes Aunt." Wendy said keeping her head still this time.

Aunt Millicent looked at Wendy and seemed to be figuring something out in her head.

"Wendy from now on you are to learn how to speak French, walk like a lady, cook and sew. Maybe a few other small things won't hurt either." She said thoughtfully.

Wendy felt trapped. Her Aunt had just come out with her plans for Wendy just like that. She didn't even bother to have a proper conversation with Wendy.

"As I see it, your parents have let you run wild long enough. It's going to take some time to tame you my dear." Aunt Millicent said in a very snobby tone.

Wendy had finally grown very angry with her Aunt's picky and spiteful comments and yelled, "Excuse me Aunt Millicent, I am not an animal. How dare you refer to me as one." She had now risen from her seat and slammed her hand onto the fragile coffee table.

Aunt Millicent raised her dainty little hand to her chest and said in a quiet tone, "Good gracious child. Your going to need more work then I thought."

She didn't even acknowledge Wendy's point of view.

Wendy sat down with her arms crossed and looked away.

"You're not even listening to me." She said quietly.

"Of course I'm listening to you. And it's occurred to me that we must get you started on your lessons straight away. This afternoon you will begin your French lesson. Now have some tea and biscuits." Aunt Millicent said bringing her cup of tea to her lips once again.

"If you don't mind Aunt. I had a rather large breakfast. I might go and settle into my room." Wendy said more politely this time, but still looked away from her Aunt.

Aunt Millicent placed her cup back onto the coffee table and said, not looking at Wendy, "If you wish it."

Wendy had already started to leave the room, but stopped a few metres away from the door when she heard her Aunts' words. She spun around, with her eyes looking very curiously at her Aunt. Her Aunt looked up at Wendy and said, "Is everything all right my dear? Did I say something?"

Wendy could only stare at her Aunt as she reminisced on Peters' words a few years ago.

Flash Back

(Just as Wendy announced their departure from Neverland to go back to London)

Peter: If you wish it.

Slightly: If you wish it?

Peter: IF YOU WISH IT!

Peter flies away.

End Flash Back

"Wendy? Are you all right?" asked Aunt Millicent once again.

"Oh yes. I'm fine. Just a little sleepy, that's all." She replied once she realised where she was again.

She then walked out of the room and ran up the stairs to find her bedroom. But she hadn't been to her Aunt's new house before so she didn't have a clue where she was. There were just so many doors.

All of a sudden Slightly popped out of nowhere and said, "Wendy follow me. I'll show you to your room."

So without a word Wendy followed Slightly down the hallway, which was filled with antique artefacts and paintings. Slightly finally stopped at the end of the hallway at a huge door. It wasn't on the left of the hallway or the right, it was right at the back where the hallway stopped.

"I hope you like it. I asked mother to let you have this room. It's the best in the house."

Wendy smiled and said, "Thankyou Slightly. You're the only one who understands me at the moment."

"What do you mean?" he asked with curiosity written all over his face.

But when he saw Wendy's confused expression he said, "I'll leave you to get settled."

"Thankyou." Wendy said, relieved that she didn't have to explain herself.

Slightly walked away and thought. Poor Wendy. She seems so depressed. Peter you better show up soon. Wendy needs you now.

He then disappeared into his own room, down the hall from Wendy's.

Wendy slowly turned the doorknob. Once she opened it all the way she looked straight in front of her. There stood a huge window. She smiled.

Slightly you sneaky thing. Getting me a room with a window like this. I hate to disappoint you Slightly but Peter is never coming back. Not now, not ever. I mean - if that was your intention. Thought Wendy.

She noticed that all of her belongings had been put away and her bed was already turned down. How sweet of Slightly she thought. She walked across her room to open her window. She looked outside. What had started out as a warm sunny day was turning into a cold cloudy day. It was like whenever Peter left Neverland, the weather immediately changed from summer to winter.

Maybe that's what happened today. This morning it was sunny and I had felt an invisible force save me from my death. Maybe it was Peter. No Wendy. It couldn't have been. There was no one there. Now it's cloudy and cold and no one is here to save me from something I fear more than death itself. Growing up.

She now walked gloomily over to her new bed (which was draped with a royal blue bedspread), which was facing the window and flopped onto it sleepily.

A few hours later Wendy was awoken by someone standing over her as she lay on her bed. She fluttered her sleepy blue eyes open and tried to make out whom it was.

"Wendy wake up. It's time." Said the voice.

"For what?" asked Wendy.

"For your French lesson. Mother is waiting for you downstairs." Answered Slightly.

"Oh. I thought you were… never mind." Said Wendy in a surprisingly disappointed tone.

Slightly knew what Wendy was thinking. She had thought that it was Peter. But he decided not to mention it.

Wendy hurried downstairs and noticed Aunt Millicent waiting impatiently.

"Wendy you are fifteen minutes late. Explain yourself?" she said angrily.

"I was sleeping Aunt." Said Wendy who was disorientated.

"Not good enough Wendy. For that you will spend an extra hour in your French lesson." Aunt Millicent said turning to lead Wendy to her study.

"But I was only fifteen minutes late." Wendy complained, annoyed that she would have to endure an extra hour of study.

Aunt Millicent stopped in her tracks and turned to face Wendy.

"Yes you were. Now you miss out on dinner for disrespecting your elders."

What is going on? Thought Wendy. Is this going to turn into a labour camp or something? Well I better not do anything else wrong. Or I'll miss out on breakfast too.

"Please accept my apology Aunt." Said Wendy more maturely.

"I accept your apology but you will still be missing out on dinner. Now go into the study." Aunt Millicent said calmly.

"All right." Wendy said miserably.

Aunt Millicent followed.

"Now sit down on that chair and we'll begin." She said waving her hand elegantly at a chair behind a relatively large desk.

So Wendy slid into the chair as gracefully as she could and began her two-hour lesson of French.

Two hours later Wendy climbed the stairs to her room with the French alphabet still swimming in her head and once again flopped down onto her bed.

Oh why me? What did I do to deserve this? Wendy's thoughts were suddenly disrupted by Slightly who whispered, "Wendy are you awake? I brought you some dinner."

Wendy rolled over to face Slightly with the food in his hands.

"Oh thankyou Slightly. I'm absolutely starving." She said out loud.

"Sshh! Mother will hear us. I'm not supposed to be up here." He whispered as he sat down beside her on her bed.

"Oh all right. Sorry." She whispered back.

"It's all right." He said still trying to keep quiet.

Wendy ate her dinner like a child. She didn't bother to use her knife or fork. She picked up the chicken, vegetables etc with her hands.

Slightly looked quite amused by this sight.

Once she had finished licking her greasy fingers Slightly said, "Wendy? You've grown a lot since I last saw you. That was about two or three years ago."

"Really? Was it that long ago, since we saw each other?" asked Wendy looking at him astonished.

"I'm afraid so. Remember mother sent me away to boarding school for a while as well." He said looking down miserably.

"Oh yes. How was that?" asked Wendy eyeing him curiously.

"Oh. It was okay for someone who's never had fun or an adventure before. If you were lucky, you were sent there without knowing what it was like to live. So you can see how that worked out for me." He said sarcastically.

"Oh that's horrible." Said Wendy looking down at her lap.

"Yeah it was. But Wendy can I ask you something?" he asked cautiously.

"I guess." Said Wendy, not sure whether she wanted to know what his question was.

"Um – well – did you ever think about Neverland, or Peter after we were brought back?"

Wendy had dreaded this question. But she replied as best she could without looking at Slightly.

"Oh yes of course. I couldn't forget about – well either of them."

"Oh me too. Well I better go to bed." Slightly said noticing Wendy's discomfort.

"Oh yes me too." Replied Wendy.

"Goodnight Wendy. Sweet dreams." He whispered gently as he got up from beside Wendy on the bed.

"Goodnight Slightly. Sleep well." She replied yawning.

Once he walked out of the room and shut the door leaving her in the dark, Wendy cried silently into her pillow.

"Oh Peter. I'm sorry I left you. I miss you so much. Please come back and get me. I want to leave here and never look back. Please. Oh please. Peter if you can hear me, come and take me back with you. I need you."

Outside the window a young boy was floating in mid air listening to Wendy's every word. He quietly flew into the open window, stood in his famous stance and watched Wendy cry. He felt a tear trickle down his own cheek.

Why am I crying? There's nothing wrong with me. Is there? He thought confused.

But then again there is. My Wendy is sad. I hate to see anything of mine sad.

So Peter walked over to Wendy's bed and kneeled down beside her. Once there he ran his filthy left hand through her long brownish-blonde hair and leaned over to whisper into her ear, "It's okay Wendy. I'm here now. Forget them Wendy. Forget them all. Come with me, where you'll never, never have to worry about grown up things again."

Well what did you think? Did you like it? I hope you did. I put a lot of effort into this chapter. I felt this was a rather important chapter. Mainly because we get to hear from Slightly's point of view. And Peter finally starts to come into the story.

P.S. Sorry about how late this is. Dam document manager, which is finally working, locked me out forever. So if I ever don't post something for ages Document manager has most likely stuffed me up. Once again. Sorry. And enjoy.

Tidus' girl Candy