Peter Pan

A Different Wendy

Chapter Three

Marie awoke to the sound of Slightly's voice. Who was he talking to? Marie stayed quiet and didn't move so she could listen to them.

"I don't get girls, Peter, how did you ever understand Wendy?" Slightly whispered.

Another voice replied, it was a little bit deeper and he talked like he was always on the verge of laughter, "I didn't really understand Wendy, Slightly, but I guess you aren't supposed to get girls. They kind of just, I can't explain it, you'll just have to wait and see for yourself."

"Wait and see what for myself?" Slightly asked, but Peter just laughed. A minute later Slightly queried, "How old am I?"

"How old are you? Where did that come from? You've never asked before."

"I know, but I want to know how old I am." Slightly said.

"Well, I can check when we get back to Neverland. I think Tink had me record how old all of you were when we brought you to Neverland. I do remember that you were the first Lost Boy, though. Then came Tootles, Nibbs, Curly, Barky and Hoppy, Whittle, and last to join was Quickie." Peter said.

"Thanks. So when are we going?" Slightly asked.

"Well where is she?" Peter looked around.

"Right over there, she's sleeping, I think." Slightly looked over to the spot where Marie was pretending to sleep. She was very good at that.

"Okay, then I'm going to wake her up, and after I answer all those questions you said she has, we'll leave." Peter tiptoed over to Marie and sat down next to her.

He shook her shoulder lightly. Marie fluttered open her eyes so he would think she had been sleeping. Her jaw dropped. Peter Pan looked exactly as he was supposed to, and he had his goofy smile on his face. "Hello, Marie, I'm Peter Pan."

"Hi." Marie said, sitting up and pulling at her curls so they weren't wild and crazy.

"Do you want to come to Neverland?" He asked.

"Yes, but I need to bring Violet and Ethan." Marie said.

"Who are they?"

"They're my sister and brother."

"Oh, well, I guess they can come if they want to, and just so long as they don't make you want to come home." Peter agreed.

"What do I have to come home to? My mother is dead, and as far as I know, my father is too."

"Okay, than let's go get them. Now where did Tinkerbelle disappear to?" Peter looked around, "Tink. Tinkerbelle, come here. I know you don't like girls, but you know you'll always be my best friend, and my first friend, and my partner."

Tinkerbelle flew out from behind a leaf, and went, smiling, over to Peter. He grabbed her and shook her over Marie's head so sparkly drops fell onto her head. Then he let her go and she flew up to a high branch where he couldn't reach her again unless he flew up there.

"Well there you go, now all you have to do is think a happy thought, and you can fly." Peter said. "And, unless you have more questions, we should probably get going."

"I'll ask you them when we get there, then." Marie said.

"Okay, then let's go." Peter grinned. "Come on Slightly, Tink, let's fly."

Slightly appeared beside Marie and Peter and Tinkerbelle flew down a few branches. They walked out from the cover of the trees and Peter and Slightly flew up in the air. Marie tried to think of a happy thought. She mumbled to herself, "A happy thought, a happy thought."

Peter was chasing Tinkerbelle, trying to get her to forgive him. Slightly landed beside Marie to wait for her, "Don't you have a happy thought?"

"Of course I do. I just can't think of one." Marie looked down at her toes. "What's your happy thought, Slightly?"

Slightly looked at her and said, "My happy thought? My happy thought is going on adventures, I guess."

"What do you mean, you guess? Don't you know?" Marie asked.

"Not really, I guess I just know I have one and I don't need to know what it is." He shrugged.

"Well, I guess mine is not having to worry about staying another night with Ms. Winglet anymore." Marie said. She thought real hard about that.

"I don't think that's happy enough. Think of something more." He suggested.

"Hmm…my mother." Marie whispered. She closed her eyes and pictured her mother's face. She tried to recall the scent of her perfume and the warmth of her skin when she pulled her into a tight hug before bed. She remembered trying to find the 'hidden kiss' her mother's aunt always talked about. Her mother's aunt would tell Marie she'd get a hidden kiss when she was older. Last year, when the old lady was in her bed, about to die, she called for Marie and Violet and Ethan to visit, and she said Marie finally got her hidden kiss, and she was to save it for a special boy. Marie opened her eyes and saw Slightly and Peter grinning at her. She looked down and smiled, she was flying!

"Come on, Marie; let's go get your brother and sister!" Peter yelled, and Marie and Slightly followed Peter back to London.

They stopped on the roof of the orphanage. "Now where would they be right now?" Peter asked.

"Sleeping, silly, it is really late, you know." Marie giggled. "I'll go get them, wait right here."

She flew to their window and slowly opened it so it didn't make any noise. She flew in, and kept the window open in case she needed a fast escape. She saw the sleeping forms of her little sister and brother. Marie decided to wake up Ethan first. She went over to his bed and shook his shoulder lightly. "Wake up, Ethan." He stretched out his arms and then opened his eyes.

"Marie!" He said, a little too loud. Marie smacked her hand over his mouth and put her finger to her lips.

"We're leaving. We're going to go to Neverland." Marie told him.

"Neverland, but that's not a real place, Marie, it's just a faerie tale." Ethan protested. "Where have you been, Marie, we thought you ran away and left us here alone."

"I'd never leave you!" Marie hugged him. "But Neverland is a real place, and if you want to forget about being an orphan, then we can go there. Peter Pan and one of the Lost Boys are on the roof right now, waiting for us."

"Really?" Ethan hopped out of his bed and stuck his head out the window. "Where?"

"You can't see them on the roof, but Peter said he'd come when I call him." Marie said. "Now come here and help me wake up Violet."

"Okay." Ethan came away from the window, but it came crashing down. Marie jumped at the sound and Ethan cringed. "Oh no!"

"Hurry, open the window and call out for Peter!" Marie instructed. She ran over to Violet's bed and picked up her little sister. Violet squirmed and opened her eyes.

"Marie! You came back for us!" Violet smiled sleepily.

"Shh! Honey, be quiet, we have to leave right now, okay? We're going to go to Neverland." Marie said.

"To Neverland, but I thought that place wasn't real?" Violet asked.

"I was wrong." Marie said. "Now come on."

"Who's that?" Violet looked scared. Peter and Slightly were at the window.

"That's Peter Pan and one of his Lost Boys." Marie carried Violet over to the window and handed her to Slightly, "Hold her for a second, I have to do something, I'll be right back. Fly her to the roof if you can."

"Which Lost Boy are you?" Violet wondered.

"Slightly." He said.

"You're my sister's favorite. She always said she liked you. Whenever she told stories she made you the main Lost Boy so she could talk about you. I don't have a favorite, I like you all." Violet held around his neck as he carried her to the window.

"Well that's something I didn't know. From the way Marie was acting I would have thought I was her least favorite." Slightly said. "I'm going to fly us up to the roof, okay?"

"You can fly?" Violet's eyes got wide.

"Yep."

"Cool!" Violet shrieked with laughter the whole ride up to the roof.

Peter was still in the room with Ethan. Marie had told Peter that Ethan was only nine and he couldn't weigh more than seventy pounds, so he should take him up to the roof too, but Ethan wouldn't go near him.

"What did you do to my sister?" Ethan demanded.

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything." Peter looked bewildered.

"You better not hurt her, she's been through enough." Ethan warned.

"Okay, I promise I won't hurt her. Now would you please let me fly you up to the roof so we don't get caught?" Peter grabbed under Ethan's arms and flew him up to the roof.

"That was amazing!" Ethan smiled.

Marie snuck downstairs. She was surprised Ms. Winglet didn't wake up from all that racket, but she was probably so drunk she couldn't move, let alone wake up to find out where the crash came from. Marie opened the closet door and reached up to retrieve a duct taped shoe box. Marie closed the closet door and was about to go back upstairs when she heard someone behind her.

"I knew you would come back for your box. Well, you aren't going to have it. I don't know where you went, or how you left, but you're not leaving again. You're going to be doing chores for the rest of your pitiful life. Now give me the box and get back to bed!" Ms. Winglet was standing in her bedroom doorway.

"I don't think so." Marie smirked. She ran up the stairs and into her room. She went slowly enough so that Ms. Winglet could follow her. She waited at her doorway until Ms. Winglet turned around the corner.

"You can't go anywhere, Marie!" Ms. Winglet laughed evilly.

"Oh really?" Marie raised her eyebrows. "Buh bye, now, Ms. Winglet, have fun with your hangover tomorrow morning. This time you'll have to get your own aspirin."

Marie smiled and slammed the door shut. She was out the window and on the roof by the time Ms. Winglet opened the door again. She didn't have a clue how they had all left, but she didn't bother to call the police.