Images of Broken Souls

Chapter Eight: When It Rains

Everybody comes to Hollywood
They wanna make it in the neighborhood
They like the smell of it in Hollywood
How could it hurt you when it looks so good

. - Hollywood, Madonna -

More days had passed, and the pirates still were not back. Most everyone who cared about it was happy with that fact, but two people weren't. Peter wanted them back, as the adventures were always more exciting with the crew of the Jolly Roger on the island. And Nicole half-wished for their return, if only so she could find out what everyone seemed to think would harm her to know about. It was only a half-wish though, as she did not want Ian, or any of her friends, to be in danger.

Most everything was normal on the island the day it happened. Peter and the others had the left the house under the ground that morning, as was usual. Tinker Bell sometimes went with him, and other times she stayed with Nicole, but the girl wasn't sure where the fairy was at present. The one slightly odd thing to have transpired was that Bits decided to forsake adventure that day, in favor of staying with Mother. How gracious Nikki was of this event slightly disturbed Ian, who was used to her attentions, but he still went with the Lost Boys. If Bits needed to talk to his sister, he wasn't going to get in the way.

Hours went by happily. The two children laughing to their hearts' content as they discussed ridiculous antics that had happened over the years. Around Nicole, Bits opened up; only she and the 'older Lost Boys,' of whom there was only Walker left, could ever make him do so.

"And then Red jumped a mile high," Bits said. At the look Nicole managed to give him, through her restrained laughter, he corrected himself: "Okay, it wasn't that high, but his feet were seriously about four meters above where they had been."

That caused the girl to burst. "I bet it looked like a cartoon."

"What's a cartoon?" So she explained, and they continued their conversation. Eventually the two decided to get some food ready for when the others returned. And it was then that Nicole found out where Tink was.

She had been picking some berries she knew to be good when she saw a couple lights floating at a nearby tree. Knowing they were fairies, and disregarding them to be of little importance, the brunette continued her task. That was until the wind carried a voice speaking the word 'pirate' to her ears. Very grateful that Peter had taught her fairy language, she mentally scolded herself for being presumptuous just a moment before. They were quite clearly of importance, at least to her.

Taking a closer look at the fairies out of the corner of her eye, Nicole noted that one was Tinker Bell. And also clearly distressed. Nicole kept listening until she heard something that made her heart freeze. The pirates were back. They'd arrived that morning. "I will warn you to keep yourself and those who came with you away from the pirates." "No," she muttered to herself, standing up, "No."

Finally noticing the girl, Tink rushed over to try and calm her. It didn't work. Nicole just starting calling for Bits. When he arrived, she asked if he knew where Peter had taken the Boys. He nodded, and she then requested that he to lead her to them. While she knew her way around the island, they might have changed course; and if they had she wouldn't be able to track them, but Bits would. Confused, the boy agreed and they started heading toward Slightly Gulch.

But Tink kept trying to get Nicole to reconsider. That is, until Nicole told her that the only way the fairy could stop her from fetching Ian and Mandy was with a proven assurance that they weren't going to run into the pirates. No longer confused, Bits hurried the girls along. That is, he hurried them along until they were close enough to their destination that echoes emanating from the Gulch proved Nicole's worries correct. The Lost Boys had run into the pirates.

They were dodging and slashing and parrying in a whirlwind of motion. Nicole slumped to the ground, her back to a tree, knowing there was no way to get Mandy or Ian out of there. Tinker Bell flew around near her ear, trying to convince the girl to leave, but she just sat. Bits was the only one watching the fight, and his frown deepened when it seemingly reached a standstill. He clearly thought that not to be a good thing.

"So, you're the new Wendy," the captain sneered. "You're more rambunctious than the last one."

There were several reactions to this statement. Over in the trees Nicole frowned; Mandy was most everything that she herself wasn't. Meanwhile, Walker worried over why the captain cared about 'Wendy.' Peter was confused about the context around the word 'new'; there was only one Wendy, after all. And Ian simply wished to know who this infamous Wendy was.

"She's not Wendy, you buffoon. She's Mandy," shouted Pan. He didn't realize that those words made the pirate captain's hatred of the blonde girl grow, and it is likely that the Eternal Youth would not have cared should he have realized that fact. For what he said was true, she was not Wendy. Wendy was at home. And she was probably mending socks, or cooking dinner, or performing some other domestic chore of the like.

"So there's a Mandy now is there," he mocked. If looks could kill Mandy would have burned to death from the flames of resentment raging the pirate's eyes.

"That's right," she shouted, indignant that he thought her a Wendy. In the back of the girl's mind she felt a bit guilty; for as consequence of feeling that she was above being a Wendy she implied that she considered herself above her lifelong best friend.

The captain felt his ire rise as well. For how could Pan consider this seemingly foolhardy and quick-tempered girl above a Wendy. How could he see her high enough to remember her name? Of course, the boy was foolhardy and quick-tempered himself. This Mandy was a good match for the Eternal Child.

"Of course, she isn't Wendy," Nicole said, pushing through the dense wood to get in sight of Slightly Gulch. "I am." Then a misstep and a weed caused her to briefly stumble, an incident that caused some pirates and even a couple Lost Boys to snicker. "Ha ha; laugh it up, folks. I'll be here all week." Lightly pondering the irony in the latter part of her statement, Nicole continued the trek downhill.

"Nicole," the pirate captain said, with some shock in his eyes, but a quiet sort of pleased smile on his lips.

Finally looking at the boy, shock overtook Nicole's face. "Shon?"