Chapter Three

Peter sped towards the stars that had looked so comforting and promising only hours before, an hour suddenly seemed like a very long time for a boy who could barely remember what he'd been doing the day before yesterday. As he flew, the sharp wind cutting at his cheeks and turning them numb, he failed to notice the wet on his cheek. It didn't really matter though, that he had no clue he was crying. Even if he had taken the time to realise he would've simply dismissed the idea that someone like him could ever possibly cry. He was after all, Peter Pan and thinking this his speed slowed considerably. Really it wasn't anything to do with him, why that Wendy had decided to forget him, she couldn't have been very important if she could so easily have forgotten him, when he had remembered her so well. These far more happy and appealing thoughts carried him all the way to his home.

The large island looked just as it always did, a beautiful green jungle growing everywhere and bursting with adventure. He looked down happily at his world and smiled to himself. Wendy was missing out on all this too, stupid girl, he still couldn't understand what would ever be great about growing up. Floating amongst the clouds he spotted the huge pirate ship… a permanent scar on his wonderful land. Swooping towards the island he thought first of rounding up the lost boys and having a good fight against the pirates, or the Indians. Then he remembered the mermaids, they would never even consider leaving Neverland. They had never gotten bored, and they had spent far longer lounging around Neverland then Wendy ever had. He crowed loudly and headed straight for the lagoon, knowing that the mermaids would welcome him, and make him feel important again. Perhaps they would even stop him feeling useless, a feeling that had stayed with him ever since Wendy had left. In his mind, deciding she didn't need him anymore.

In almost no time, he found himself alighting on a large rock in the centre of the lagoon. Peter looked around taking in the noisy waterfall and dappled sunlight on the water, before sitting cross-legged by the smooth water. He stared at the surface intently until… suddenly they were there. Green tails flashing as they entered patches of sunlight, he smiled as they pulled themselves out of the water and onto surrounding rocks. Two of them fighting to sit by him, he beamed around at the others. They smiled back happily, pleased for the visit and chorused,

'Hello Peter!'

'How are you Peter?'

'I missed you Peter!'

'We hardly see you Peter!'

'Have you come to tell us a story?'

The last question came from the mermaid who had won the opportunity to sit by him, and she smiled at him her silvery blond hair shining. He turned to her and grinned self-importantly.

'Of course I have girls!'

They all clapped and laughed.

'But which one should I tell you? There are SO many to choose from!'

At this point Peter put on his best concentrating face, and to his delight the girls all rushed to tell him which one of his stories was the most exciting, daring or adventurous. The delight coming from the fact that ALL of the stories were about him. It certainly made him feel more useful.

'Oh Peter you MUST tell us about when you cut off Hook's hand!'

'NO! He should tell us about the time when he saved Tiger Lily!'

Their voices trailed into the distance as Peter remembered that Wendy had been around to see him save Tiger Lily; she had been so upset afterwards too. Coming once again to the present where there were now at least 20 mermaids in the lagoon, Peter decided on the story.

'I'll tell the one about Hook's hand' he said and all the girls cheered. One before Wendy he thought to himself, before she ever arrived. With that Peter began his story, the mermaids listening with bated breath. It was impossible to tell that they had all heard it a thousand times before.

When Peter had sped away from her window, Wendy had been quite shocked to feel an odd lurch in her stomach. Now, as Peter recounted his tales of valour in the mermaid lagoon, Wendy was sitting on her bed wondering whether the whole thing had been a dream. It couldn't honestly be real, could it? It didn't make any sense, boys couldn't fly and Peter Pan was just a story that her great Aunt had been especially fond of. It was as she looked around the room that proof came to her, with a slight jolt she realised that her curtains had been ripped clean from the window. She couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed earlier on, but it had been a very busy, very confusing day. So then the boy had been real, not some figment of her imagination. He was so real that he had ripped down her curtains! Wendy smiled happily to herself before realising with a second jolt that her great aunt's entire story had been true. Peter had been looking for Wendy Moira Angela Darling, she sighed to herself, her customary downcast eyes returning. That meant that she would never see him again, after all, why would he return to this house now that he new that Wendy wasn't the real Wendy? She thought sadly that now she would be trapped forever in this place unless her plan worked, and suddenly the plan didn't seem very appealing. She wished with all her heart that she could go to Neverland, as she had as a young child before she had decided that none of that world was real. A light patter of steps broke into thoughts and she braced herself for Lucinda.

She waltzed in without knocking, her dainty steps fresh from finishing school not disguising that particular unpleasantry.

'Wendy, you're wanted downstairs for the cleaning and the cooking. Well, whatever it is that you do around here' her voice was light, her snobbery inescapably clear. She glanced at the ripped curtains and carried on,

'What did you so this time? Bite them down? Honestly I know you're a bit savage but can't you control yourself?'

Lucinda seemed to find this outrageously funny, because she broke into her silly tinkling laughter. Wendy didn't really see what was so incredibly funny and the laugh which was obviously another trick from finishing school made her ears hurt more than anything else. She got to her feet and briskly left the room, hurrying downstairs before her step-mother (A/N very Cinderella I know!) had to yell for her, a pastime which always resulted in more chores for Wendy. She reached the kitchen and entered, praying that her step-mother would be in an averagely good mood. The tall, bony woman, whose blond hair contained streaks of white, was quickly joined by her daughter. Lucinda came in behind Wendy and stood by her mother her brown eyes gleaming darkly at her, whilst her mother stroked the golden ringlets absent-mindedly. This, more than anything hurt Wendy, the fact that they could be affectionate just not towards her had taken Wendy many years to understand. She sighed heavily,

'What are you sighing about Wendy?' the woman said sharply, her eyes boring into Wendy's.

'Nothing' Wendy replied, 'What would you like me to do, madam?'

Her stepmother liked to be called madam for some reason; Wendy supposed it had something to do with the fact that they had no official servants. Since her father had died there hadn't really been enough extra money for them.

'You will clean Lucinda's room for her, she has far too many important things going on to do it herself and it will give you something to do with yourself'

Wendy turned and made her way back up the stairs; she entered Lucinda's brightly decorated room and began making a pile of the clothes she would need to clean. Every so often she would glance longingly at a beautiful dress, imagining how it would feel to be Lucinda for just one day.

Hi everybody! I am FINALLY continuing this story so let me know if you think its good! I am REALLY sorry for the long, long, long wait but I have excuses like 'GCSEs' and my computer wasn't working so maybe you'll forgive me? Please? And read the new chapter? And THEN… review it!