Chapter 3.
How Wendy Darling appeared, flushing her long eyelashes and twirling her blonde curls in the most coy manner when I had answered the door. Dressed in a revealing satin gown, it was surprising to know she was only two years older than my fifteen years.
"Margaret," Wendy bent in to give me a sisterly kiss, but I moved away, detesting such conduct as asinine. "You are the semblance of beauty, I may declare. How lovely you look in that crème! Did Jeanette dress you?"
"No, of course not. Everyone knows of my desire to dress like a peacock and wave about my feathers outlandishly."
"How I wish you would grow up a bit more, Margaret. You are growing into such a fine, cultivated lady as it is, yet you persist in staying a child and being treated as so."
"That is only because I wish not to grow up."
"Why might you wish that?"
"Because I do not want to live such a life as prancing about daintily and putting on airs. There is no fun in being an adult. It seems all dull with no droll occurrences to make it all worthwhile."
"That is because you do not give yourself a chance."
"Why would I? So you all might manipulate me into thinking this is what I want when you all know it is far from it?"
"I know not why you act so hard and aloof when I only wish to grow closer to you."
"How can you, when you cannot even accept who I am?"
"You talk as if you are accepting me for who I am."
"Well, at least we both realize we have no intention to do that." I remarked sardonically.
"Alright, I apologize for being so pushy." Wendy bowed her head. "Come, and let us walk. I shall discuss anything that might possibly interest you. If only this allows me the opportunity to get to know Margaret Anita Maurice a bit better."
"Do you enjoy being an adult?"
"Being older has its joys but it does have its trials and tribulations as well." Wendy smiled as if treasuring a memory sweet to her. "Childhood has so many fun memories, it was hard to imagine doing anything besides running about and having a good time. But what is the use of having fun all of the time? Soon it, too, loses its splendor and then you are left with nothing but eternity. I find it much more delightful to indulge myself in a bit of work and adversities and then reward myself in due time. Then my fun never loses its grandeur."
"But why give it up? Why suddenly change yourself and give in to such things that you have not a mite of desire to ever do?"
"Because forever is a mighty long time to stay the same," Wendy twirled her parasol that shielded her white skin from the sun. "It would be wonderful to spend forever with someone dear to you and not have a worry in the world, but the truth of the matter is, forever is too long of a time for me to promise anything.'
"Don't you wish you marry someday?"
"Of course. It is my duty as a woman to settle down with a man who will provide for me."
"But when you give yourself in marriage, is that not the same thing as promising forever to the person?"
"Indeed." Wendy stopped walking and stared at me. "When you decide to marry, it shall be because you love one another and are willing to accept change and whatever change might occur between the two of you. You cannot expect to be married to the same person after ten years. Or twenty. Or thirty."
"Whatever possessed you to go out, Margaret?" Nicholas hissed angrily once we had proceeded on with Peter leading as he conversed with Michael. "You cannot trust him. You do not know him."
"I know enough of him to want to go," I turned to Nicholas. "I am tired of the humdrum of my life. Having Jeanette pimp and polish me till I ache with all of her scrubbing and what-have-you… that is not for me, Nicholas, and you know it. I grew up with you. You know how I am like."
"And I had prayed everyday that perhaps your interests might change," Nicholas frowned. "Unfortunately, they haven't."
"As if you have change much since I've known you," I scoffed. "Still the same lad who carps to me constantly about me never wanting to change and grow up!"
"Do you still think me a lad!" Nicholas grabbed my wrists. "Come and look about you, Margaret. I am far from the little boy who used to speak of growing up and leaving the farm. My dreams have change. I have had to give in to the reality that surrounds me. Do you see the same boy staring at you now?"
"Nick…" my voice faltered as tears filled my eyes.
His blonde hair was ruffled from his sudden swift movements, and his blue eyes filled with such reality that it was as if I were looking into an old soul that had long since forgotten of the joys of life. His face, once round with his baby fat, was lean and masculine, and I began to wonder when this change had occurred. He had grown taller- much taller- and his body that used to have its childish clumsiness was now muscular and built for working along the fields. The hands that grasped me tightly were rough and weatherworn, much unlike the satin skin of my own that was still accustomed to clapping and picking flowers during the long summer days he spent working under the scorching sun.
"Do I need to watch and make sure you two don't do anything fishy now?" Peter inquired teasingly. "I forget that I am amongst more mature folk, who would just as easily give in to older desires rather than their younger."
"Do we draw nearer to Neverland?"
"Why, Annie, we are already there." Peter pulled me from Nicholas's grasp and led me to his sanctuary.
"Oh Peter!" I gaped at the scene before me.
Neverland was a fairyland full of light and the melody of youth that poured down upon us like rain. In the air, the flickering lights of the fairies mirrored the bliss I felt that made it seem as if my joy would lift me up to fly amongst them. Holding out my hands, I felt the magic floating in the air and twirled around, taking in the greenness and fantasies that enveloped me in this world of wonder.
"Peter… it is magnificent." I turned to him as he stood staring at me with a crooked half smile and his eyes fixed on me in a fashion that would have Jeanette exclaiming. "Nothing can possibly be better than this, do you think?"
"Annie, this is only the beginning." he drew closer to me, and soon we were a few inches away, the tops of our noses touching. His hands grabbed mine and he leaned forward as his lips tickled my ears in a whisper. "Wait till I teach you how to fly."
Suddenly my world was a mixture of bright lights as the glowing fairies surrounded us, flickering and gleaming about us like a view enclosing us in together. Staring into his smiling face, filled with neither mischief, craft, nor childishness, I grinned and was so lost in him that I did not notice when we were slowly lifted off of the ground. Floating amongst the enchantment around us, when I did stir, I immediately looked down and gasped at how high we were. Drawing nearer to Peter and wrapping me arms around him, clinging to his body with all my might, I heard him chuckle, much unlike his usual juvenile guffaws and giggles.
"You enjoying the view up here?" he asked.
"Until I looked down," I smiled meekly. "I am sorry, but I have a fear of heights as well."
"I do not think I shall ever understand you girls," Peter shook his head, and I looked at how each movement of his hair made his curls bounce about. "Too many so-called fears to hold you down."
"As if you can control your fears."
"Certainly you can," Peter raised his eyebrows in a way that made me laugh. "Your fears are only excuses to prevent you from doing something."
"Oh really?'
"Yes," Peter grinned at me. "Really."
"Do you think we should go and make sure Michael and Nicholas are enjoying themselves?" I questioned, despite the fact I did not want to leave from his arms that held me gently. I closed my eyes and my grip on him tightened as Peter responded by pulling me nearer. "I wish I could stay here forever."
