"Well, he's a lot different from the others, that's for sure!" Julie said to Brinkley and Javen, one of the other Lost Boys. They walked across the wooden paths hanging high in the air in the midst of the great trees.
"So, this Jack Sparrow, is he a good pirate? Or, is he like Captain Hook?" Brinkley asked, shuttering at the mention of Hook.
Julie chuckled, "He's actually a hero. A 'good man' as some say."
"Wow! You must tell everyone his story tomorrow!" Javen spoke up.
"Yes! You must!" Brinkley agreed, stopping in front of Julie eagerly.
"Oh, I don't know…tomorrow my not work for me!" She rolled her eyes sarcastically.
"Please?" The two boys begged pitifully giving her sappy puppy dog faces.
Julie grinned and patted Brinkley on the head, "Alright, if I have to!" She said, punching Javen's arm jokingly as she cut through them to go on alone to her bedroom.
"Goodnight Julie!" They said gleefully running the opposite ways to their own 'forts' as they called them.
"Goodnight!" Julie called back. She couldn't stand it, she loved those boys, and all the other ones too. She had always been a great babysitter, loving hanging out with kids, especially the boys.
Merrily, Julie hummed as she walked the path to her flowered room, watching the sunset over the sea. But suddenly, she saw a bright light floating toward her, fast. Her eyes widened as she happily smiled at Tinkerbell, "Hey Tink! What's goin' on?"
Tinkerbell stopped right in front of her, only sounding like a small bell. Then, Julie remembered, "Oh, I'm so stupid, you can't talk! Or at least, I can't understand you! Sorry, Tink! Well, goodnight!"
Julie tried to pass, but Tink would only move into her way, every time. Curiously, Julie looked at her suspiciously, "Um, do you wanna get out of my way?"
But the fairy only stood there, giving Julie a mean look. Then, she turned red, and took out a very small knife and held it close to Julie's face. She finally backed off, putting her dagger away and turning white again.
Watching her the entire time, Julie understood what Tink had meant, "Listen, I know you're worried that I'm taking Peter away from you."
The fairy stood there with her arms crossed, not even looking at Julie, but she continued, "But you shouldn't, because I'm not! The only reason I'm here is to get my friend, and then I'll take her home. That's it, nothing else. I promise you Tink, you can trust me on that! Peter's just helping me; he said he was going to teach me about pirates, and war. He's wanted a war between the Lost Boys and the pirates for sometime now, and feels this is his opportunity. Don't worry you're still the most important thing to him. No matter if he hangs out with me 24/7 or tells me how great I'd fit in here as the Lost Boys' mother, I'm still going home. And besides, he'll never have real feelings about anything except games, battles, and fun. He's a boy; he'll never grow up."
Julie finished deeply reflecting to herself. Tinkerbell looked at her curiously, but then turned red again. She pushed Julie back and flew past her angrily. Julie sighed as she watched her fly away; Tink obviously didn't trust her.
Stepping up to her room, she opened the pink and white flower-curtain and began to enter, until she heard, "Hey Julie!"
The whisper came from a good distance away, and Julie looked out from the curtain across the empty space between the wooden bridges and up, finding Peter sitting on the edge of his own fort.
"Do ya like my fort?" He asked proudly. She looked at it, seeing it was a small house made out of branches and leaves, propped on the edge of a branch, with a wide open doorway where Peter's feet were dangling out of.
She smiled and replied, "It's great. Perfect for a hero like yourself!"
"Is that your…sarcasm you were talking about earlier? Or whatever it was?"
"No. I was actually telling the truth," She looked sweetly at him and slowly turned and went through the flowers saying, "Goodnight."
And just like that, Julie disappeared into the flowers. Peter smiled and softly said to himself, "Goodnight Julie." Then, he looked up to the sky at the orange haze, fading delicately into a sapphire blue.
Julie watched it too, but her fort had a view of the ocean, as it was on the cliff of the island. She watched the sun sink into the water, and touched her locket which lay gently on her chest. She thought of that day, and how wonderful it was. Smiling, she came back from the bark railing and took off her dark coat. She placed it on a branch nearby and also took off her sweater and all star shoes.
She smoothed out her purple tank top and drowsily laid down in her cozy quilt bed. She laughed as she realized it wasn't really a mattress, but just many blankets piled on the other, with goose feathers stuffed into a stitched blanket. The pillow actually reminded her of one that Edna made her as a child. Oh, how she missed Edna so. But, she knew she would go back, just as soon as the war between the Lost Boys and the pirates was over, and Lynn was safe. She had to save her, she knew Lynn was in horrible pain and torture more than she could ever realize. Slowly, she drifted off into a troubled and worried sleep…
Just moments later, over the ocean on the Jolly Rodger, Lynn sat quietly on the railing of the ship, staring out at the dark sapphire sea. She sighed as the pirates played music merrily on deck. This was her first time alone looking out at the deep ocean. She looked straight down into the water, picturing Julie plunge down deeper and deeper to her death. She could even see Julie's last struggling breath.
Beginning to cry, Lynn took off a plastic pink ring that had been on her finger for the past seven years. She and Julie each had one; finding them in a cracker jack box as kids. She could hear Julie's voice now, saying, "As long as we wear these rings, our friendship will never die."
"It'll never die huh?" Lynn said to herself, "Then why did you have to go and be the hero? Why couldn't you have stayed in London? Why did you have to die?"
She bent over and cried, holding the ring in the palm of her hand. Lynn couldn't stand it; she missed Julie so much, but she knew she had to let her go. But, as hard as she tried, she couldn't get Julie out of her head.
"Excuse me," A calm and quiet voice came from behind her, "May I sit with you?"
Lynn turned to find whom she thought was the most gorgeous boy she had ever seen in her entire life standing before her. He looked about seventeen; he was quite tall with dark brown hair, intense green eyes, very tan skin, and an earring in his left ear, wearing the typical pirate clothes as the others on board.
"Umm, sure." She said hesitantly, turning back to the sea, wiping the tears from her face.
"If I may ask, why are you crying? Is it because of your friend?" He sat down on the railing, about a foot away from her.
"Oh, you saw that?" She asked, keeping the ring hidden in her fist.
"There wasn't a pirate on this ship that didn't see that." He sorrowfully admitted. Then, he looked closely at her face. He pitied to see the poor girl in such a mess, and tried to be as kindly as he could, "She was very brave, trying to save you like that. And, to take your place, I'm sure she was a great friend."
"She was," Lynn agreed somberly, then looked at him curiously, "Why are you being so nice to me? Did Hook send you up here?"
"No," The boy responded, "The only thing Hook's ever told me in the past three years was to swab the deck; also, I think it was him that ordered me to clean the galley once."
"I see. Can I ask, do you like Hook at all?"
"Hook? Let me be blunt, I like that crocodile better than I like Hook, and that's saying something!"
Lynn smiled secretly, then asked him, "Then why do you stay on this ship? Why do you take orders from these people?"
"Well, I have to; otherwise, they'll hang me by my neck until my face turns blue! You see," The boy got closer, so the pirates below wouldn't hear a word, "I was meant to be a Lost Boy."
"A Lost Boy?" Lynn whispered back, "But, what happened?"
"Well, years ago, when I was just a lad, Peter came to the orphanage that I lived in London. He took me and a few others, then taught us to fly. He told us he'd take us to a place where there was no loneliness, no despair. He said he knew a place where'd we never have to grow up. But, as we flew down into Neverland, we were attacked by Hook and his men.
"They threw cannonballs at us as we tried to dodge them. Peter and the others flew faster than I could, and flew down and away from the Jolly Rodger. I desperately tried to catch up, but then, a cannonball flew my way. It flew directly for me, and I moved to dodge it. However, I didn't move away quick enough. The cannonball bumped the side of my head hard, burning my scalp. I blacked out. When I woke up, I was on this very ship, and I was face to face with Captain James Hook himself.
"He bent over and harshly told me, 'You will be my cabin boy! You follow my every order, or I will hang you and feed your body to that crocodile!' And so, I've been here ever since. For a few months, I thought Peter would come and find me here. But, I guess he forgot about me, seeing as how he had all the others to deal with. That's one thing that happens in Neverland, you forget."
"Well, your memory seems to be pretty good. I mean, you remember the orphanage, London, and coming here!" Lynn pointed out.
"Yeah, that's true. But only for two reasons: one, I still have my bracelet on from the orphanage, just so I can remember where I came from." He held out his wrist and revealed a light blue bracelet.
Lynn gently placed her hand on his bracelet, then looked up at him again, "And two?"
"It's easy for me to remember things because, well, I have nothing else to think about. All I do around here is clean; I don't get any respect from the other pirates. I don't have any friends, I never have. I've learned just to be quiet and be out of everyone's way. All I think about is what it would be like if I was with the Lost Boys, still young and happy. But, I've grown. I'm not a child anymore. I grew up pretty fast once that cannonball hit my head. It still hurts there sometimes."
Lynn leaned in close to the boy and asked, "May I see it?"
Silently, the boy moved his dark wavy hair from his eyes and forehead, exposing a large scar above his right eyebrow. Lynn softly placed her warm hand on it, causing the boy to close his eyes. No one had ever been this close to him before, or this warm-hearted.
"Does it hurt now?" She asked worriedly.
He opened his eyes and faintly smiled, "No, not now." Then, he looked at her peculiarly, "I never got your name."
Taking her hand off of his face, she said peacefully, "I'm Annalynn. But, Julie called me Lynn."
"It's beautiful." He said, looking at her deeply. Lynn smiled at him, suddenly feeling very nervous. The two were very close at the moment. Then suddenly, they heard a splash below them.
Looking into the dark water, they saw a mermaid, a red mermaid. She looked at them curiously, and then asked Lynn, "Did you say you know Julie?"
"Umm, yes?" Lynn looked at her both excitedly and curiously. The boy looked at the mermaid too, very curious himself.
"You mean the one that fell from this boat the other day? That Julie?"
"Yes. Wait! Did you see her? Are you trying to tell me she's still alive?"
The mermaid looked at the girl oddly, "She did mention she had a friend that was here, she probably meant you. But, I can't talk to you any longer, I don't trust pirates!" She added, looking at the cabin boy.
"No, wait! He's my friend! You can trust him! Don't go! Please!" But before Lynn finished, the mermaid was gone. Lynn sighed, but then realized what the mermaid had said.
"Julie said I was here, she's alive! I can't believe it!" Lynn said happily, standing up.
"You can't believe what my dear?" Up from the steps Hook came, with Smee at his side.
The cabin boy immediately stood up obediently. Lynn ignored him and looked at the Captain frightened, "Oh, nothing. I just have never seen a mermaid before! I love mermaids!"
The cabin boy rolled his eyes the other way, she shouldn't have said that. The captain slowly approached the girl and eyed her inquisitively, "I think you're lying Ms. McConnell. Scrubs!" He barked, making the cabin boy jump.
"Yes sir!" The boy replied, standing stiff and tall.
"Is that all that happened? Tell me the truth, otherwise, I take care of you just like I took care of that clock!"
The boy gulped, and looked at Lynn regretfully, "Aye sir! The mermaid said that Julie is still alive!"
"Julie? Julie…now where do I know that name from?" The captain thought to himself, scratching his head with his hook.
Smee then raised his hand and spoke loudly, "Isn't it that girl you supposedly killed the other day? The one that could fly and tried to rescue this one?" Pointing at Lynn.
Both Lynn and the boy exchanged terrified looks as they heard Hook breathe angrily. He began to groan, turning redder and redder as every second passed, "SHE WHAT?"
He slammed his Hook down on the railing, cutting between the two kids who moved as quickly as they could away from him. He then pulled his hook out from the wood and took a moment to calm down before he called for, "Smee! Instead of slicing both these two and you into pieces, I've decided to form yet another plan! A better plan!"
He began to walk down the steps, with Smee following as he finished saying, "I'm going to get that little brat, as sly as she may seem!"
As soon as they were gone, Lynn fell to the ground in shock. The cabin boy immediately came to her side and held her in his arms, "Are you alright?"
"Oh, sorry, I can get scared easily. That was…whoa!" She breathed heavily as the boy helped her stand up again.
Then, popping into his head suddenly, he asked her, "Did you mean what you said back there?"
Lynn looked up at him confusedly, "Umm, what did I say?"
"When you told the mermaid that I was your friend. Do you mean that?"
Lynn hid a smile and looked up at him, "Yeah, I did."
Finding balance, Lynn let go of the boy and they too headed down the steps. Chuckling to herself, she said to him, "Scrubs? Your name is Scrubs?"
He smiled too, and replied, "No, that's just what everyone here decided to call me."
"Then, if I may ask, what's your name?" She said before going below to her room.
He let go of the girl's hand as she opened the door, still waiting for an answer. They looked at each other, and he finally said, "Conner."
