Peter Pan
A Different Wendy
Chapter Five
"Marie! Marie! Where are you?" Violet and Ethan screamed, looking everywhere for their older sister that they could see from their perch on the fluffy pink cloud.
"Oh, Peter Pan, how could you have lost my big sister?" Violet pouted.
"I didn't lose her," Peter denied. "She must have just let go of my foot or something."
"They how are we here, smart one?" Ethan glared at Peter.
"Don't worry about it, I'll find her, I promise. I would never let your sister get hurt." Peter reassured them. He turned to Tinkerbelle, "Go and find her, Tink."
Tinkerbelle shook her head furiously. She had been sent away once before and her mischievousness had made Peter mad at her. She didn't want to be sent again for she knew her jealousy of any girl would cause her to do something stupid again and get Peter mad, which was the one thing she didn't want. Tinkerbelle whispered in Peter's ear, "What if I accidentally tell the Lost Boys she's to be shot down?"
"Tink, put away your jealousy and go find her. I don't like Marie the way I liked Wendy, and plus, Marie is her daughter. So just don't worry about it and go." Peter hissed and pushed her to the edge of the cloud so she would go. Tinkerbelle glanced back, but flew away like she was told.
Tinkerbelle first flew down and skimmed the water to see if Marie had fallen in, as she had hoped, but it looked as if she hadn't landed in the water.
Next, she searched the closest place to the water, the pirate's cave, she only took a quick peek, but she figured Marie would have gotten out of there as soon as she realized she was in there. Tinkerbelle ducked around the corner of the cave just as someone screamed, "Stupid faerie!" and tried to fire at her with their gun, but missed by a long shot. Tinkerbelle sat panting on the outside of the cave for a moment, catching her breath from the scare.
Then she moved on the mermaids, but didn't stay long there either because she was very much afraid of them. She had once stuck her tongue out at them and was only an inch away from being grabbed and drowned. Peter had saved her though, pulled her away and flew back to the hideout. If Marie decided to have a little visit with the mermaids, she'd probably already made her permanent home at the bottom of the ocean, but it seems she wasn't there either.
Tinkerbelle buzzed her way over to the Indians camp and looked around there and the woods, but Marie wasn't there either. Tinkerbelle made a quick stop at her own home to see if she'd gone to see the faeries. Tinkerbelle was beginning to feel like giving up since Marie couldn't have known how to get to the Lost Boy's hideout unless she was taken there before. Then Tinkerbelle remembered. She hurried to the hideout.
She caught up with Marie who was making her way along the path and going directly on the path that led to the Lost Boy's hideout. Tinkerbelle knew there was something she'd remembered about her. Marie was the same little girl Peter had taken for a one day tour. Marie was only six then, and Wendy only agreed because she wanted Marie to know how she had felt when she came to Neverland, and the reasons for wanting to come back to London and grow up. And because that was the only time Peter had come to visit Wendy, but he didn't remember that time ran different in Neverland and Wendy was too old for him then.
Marie didn't remember coming, she thought it was a dream she'd had when she was little, and that she was remembering bits and pieces of it. To Marie, she was just walking in her real-life dream world and this wasn't real.
Tinkerbelle grabbed a curl and pulled her back, squeaking at her to explain why she'd run off. Marie didn't understand what Tinkerbelle was saying so she waited for the little faerie to calm down and say it again slower.
"Well, this was in a dream I had when I was little. I remembered following Peter Pan here and meeting the Lost Boys and going inside their hideout. I was just coming to see if my dream was right." Marie said guiltily.
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't have left, you had Peter and those other kids worried half to death about you." Tinkerbelle pushed Marie through the trees to reveal a hidden entry to the Lost Boy's hideout. "There you go, now go knock on the door and wait for the Boys to open it."
"Wait, where are you going?" Marie wanted to know.
"I'm going to tell Peter I've found you." Tinkerbelle said.
"Wait, so my dream was right?"
"It wasn't a dream, Wendy daughter, it really happened. Wendy let you come here with Peter when you were young to see her dreamland, and so that you would know it was better in London, but you didn't think so. Peter and I visited your room every night and heard you begging Wendy to let you come back, but you soon forget, because that is what little children do." Tinkerbelle would spit out Wendy's name whenever she had to use it. "Now go and knock on the door, don't be scared they'll let you in. I'm not sure what they'll do to you once you get in there, but you'll be fine until then." Tinkerbelle laughed and flew away to find Peter.
"What are they going to do to me when I get in there?" Marie asked nobody in particular. "Slightly knows me, he won't let the others do anything." Marie nodded her head and went up to the bark door. She hesitantly lifted up her fist and knocked loudly.
Marie heard sounds from inside, like whispers and shuffling feet. She put her ear to the door and heard, "Open the door." "No, it'll hit her." "Oh yeah, it lifts outwards." "Good one, Whittle." "Shut up." "Would somebody please go get her?" "Let's just go out and get her." Marie pulled her ear away from the door and stepped a few feet away. She looked up to see if there was a way to get up that way, but there wasn't any other opening as far as she could tell.
Marie walked back in front of the door and knocked again, "Would someone please let me in?" she called loudly. "Slightly? Anyone?" Marie waited a few minutes and decided they weren't going to open the door, but she had no where else to go so she knocked one more time.
"Looking for us?" A voice said from behind her.
Marie jumped around. There were seven boys behind her. They all wore fur from animals or leave and moss clothes, just like Slightly, but she didn't see him. "Hello." Marie waved uncertainly. "I'm Marie."
"Marie?" A boy with longish blonde hair stepped forward. "Whoa, you've certainly grown up since the last time I saw you."
"You've seen me before?" Marie asked.
"Yeah, don't you remember me?" the boy asked. He looked around Marie's age, or maybe a little younger. "I'm Nibbs. You met me when you were just a little girl."
"Nibbs." Marie repeated. "Aren't you the one who tried to cut off all my curls when I said you looked like a girl with your hair so long?"
Nibbs turned a little pink, "Yeah that was me. Sorry 'bout that."
"It's fine." Marie laughed. "And who are the rest of you?"
"I'm Tootles." A chubby blonde boy stepped forward. "You probably don't remember me."
"Tootles! How could I forget you? You stole the last piece of chocolate cake Peter gave me when you thought I wasn't looking." Marie was laughing again.
"I get hungry, you know that." Tootles said to the other Boy's comments.
"And who are you?" Marie pointed to a boy with curly blonde hair. "Wait, let me guess. You're Curly."
"Yeah." Curly smiled.
"And you were the shy one who didn't talk much, right?" Marie asked.
"Yeah." Curly's cheeks turned red and he shuffled his feet from the attention.
Marie smiled. "You two must be Barky and Hoppy, right?"
"Yeah." The little brown haired boys said together.
"And we snuck away after dinner and danced with the Indians!" Marie said, and the boys nodded, huge smiles on their faces.
"But I don't know you two." Marie pointed to the last remaining boys. "Who are you?"
"I'm Whittle." A boy with black hair and grey eyes, who was around nine or ten years old replied.
"Nice to meet you, Whittle." Marie shook Whittle's hand. "And you?" She said to the last boy, who looked to be the youngest, around six or seven years old.
"Quickie," A cute little boy with light brown hair and sky blue eyes answered.
"Well, now I've met all of the Lost Boys…right?" Marie asked. "I mean, there aren't any more of you, right?"
"Nope that's all of us." Nibbs said.
"Good." Marie breathed out in a voice no one else heard. Then Marie frowned and looked around, "Where's Slightly?"
"So you have met him?" Nibbs asked.
"Yeah, he waited with me for Peter to come back." Marie explained. "Didn't all of you know that? I thought Slightly had come back to tell you we were coming?"
"He did." Tootles said.
"And now he's sleeping in a tree somewhere." Nibbs waved his hand to show he didn't know where Slightly was.
"Is he always asleep in a tree?" Marie wondered.
"No, not usually," Whittle replied.
"Well he went to sleep in a tree when we were waiting for Peter to come, too." Marie said.
"I'll let you in on a secret," Nibbs leaned in, "He doesn't usually sleep when he says he's going to. If it's the middle of the day, like this, then he really means he's going to think and he doesn't want anyone else to come."
"Why? What happened to him?" Marie asked. "I remember him as loud and never being quiet."
"He's usually like that." The twins agreed.
"Yeah, well, Peter tells us just to leave him be when he doesn't want to talk because he had a rough past, but he won't ever tell us. Peter says if Slightly wants us to know he'll tell us." Nibbs said.
"But he never has." Tootles told her.
"Oh, that's so sad." Marie said.
"Don't feel bad for me." Everybody jumped at the sound of Slightly's voice.
"Slightly, hi," Tootles said guiltily.
"What's going on, Slight?" Nibbs asked.
"Hi." Marie said quietly.
Everyone had moved away from Marie, leaving her closest to Slightly. She looked around when she realized they left her and took a couple steps backwards. Slightly was staring at them, but he didn't say anything else.
"Well, it was quite nice seeing you again, Marie, but I think I'm going to go inside and start cooking dinner." Nibbs inched away and ran around the back to the other secret entrance Marie figured they'd come out of.
"Yeah, I'll go help him." Tootles said and followed Nibbs.
"Us too." The twins announced and ran off. The rest of the Boys silently drifted off after the others.
"Don't everybody leave me!" Marie called after the last Boys. Marie turned to face Slightly and cautiously smiled, "So…" But she didn't have to finish because right at that moment Peter, Violet and Ethan returned. "Peter!" Marie smiled gratefully at him.
"Marie!" Violet squealed and jumped into Marie's arms and Ethan joined the hug, then Violet noticed Slightly and said, "Hi, Slightly!" He turned and walked away from them.
"What's wrong with him?" Peter asked.
"Well…I was talking to the Boys and I asked where he was and they said he was sleeping, but then they told me about what he's really doing when he says he's going to nap in a tree…" Marie started.
"Oh no, and he heard you, right?" Peter shook his head.
Marie flinched, "I'm sorry."
"Don't tell me, tell him." Peter said.
"What?" Marie looked shocked, "But what if he won't talk to me?"
"He will." Peter said. "Slightly isn't like that. He's really nice, and he'll forgive you whether you say sorry or not. He just had a really rough past, but I can't tell you, because it wouldn't be right. He told me not to tell anyone."
"Poor thing," Violet cooed.
Marie smiled at her little sister. "I have an idea. Why don't you go get that thing that says how old all the Boys are, so that when I get him to come out of wherever he went, you'll be able to tell him something to make him happy."
"That's a great idea!" Peter grinned. "And then I'll tell all the boys how old they – wait a minute, how did you know about that? You were sleeping."
"She's a great pretend sleeper, did I ever tell you that?" Ethan said.
"So you were listening the whole time?" Peter accused.
"Not the whole time, I don't think," Marie shrugged. "I only heard that part. I'm sorry. I don't do anything right." Marie sat on the ground, and Violet sat on her lap, she was a good little comforter.
"No, I'm sorry, Marie, I don't know how to deal with girls, I'm used to boys, you know." Peter kneeled down in front of her. "Look, you're fine, you don't do anything wrong. Now go on and talk to Slightly, he's a sensitive little boy, not just a cutie."
"What?" Marie looked up at him.
"Your sister told me you think he's a cutie, and you think I'm the most handsome boy you've ever met, but don't get mad at her, she told me you would." Peter laughed.
Marie blushed, "Well, I never said that."
"Yes you did!" Violet protested. "But it was before she met you guys, she just, I don't know how she knew what you guys looked like."
"I'm going now." Marie got up and began walking away. "Wait, how do I get in there? Or rather, where did he go?"
"I'll show you the way in, and then I'll show you his usual spot." Peter said. "And then I'll go make sure Nibbs isn't cooking, because he's not very good at it. Our usual cook is Tootles, so I hope Nibbs isn't trying to show off and cooking the food again. Come on."
"Okay." Marie agreed. She took Violet's hand and Ethan walked along her other side, and they followed Peter to the other side of the hideout. He pushed aside a pile of leaves and revealed a rather large whole in the ground. "What's that for?" Marie asked because she was kind of claustrophobic.
"This is the way in," Peter pointed. "Ethan, you go first."
"Me?" Ethan pointed at himself.
Peter looked around, "Yes you. Go on."
Ethan looked over at Marie, who nodded, and then he sat on the edge of the hole with his feet dangling in. He took a deep breath and pushed himself in. He screamed all the way down, until he hit the ground, but it was a happy scream.
"I'll go next so I can make sure the Boys don't kill your brother." Peter jumped down the hole, laughing as he slid down. When he got to the bottom he yelled back up, "You're next, Marie, so you can catch Violet if she needs you to."
"Me, okay, yeah, sure," Marie sat down next to the whole. "Okay, sweetie, I'm gonna go down and then you come right after me and I'll catch you at the bottom."
"Okay." Violet nodded her head, causing her little brown curls to bob up and down.
Marie smiled and sent herself flying down the slide, she screamed only at the very end when she saw the Boys crowded around the end of the whole waiting for her to tumble out. Marie got up and straightened out her night gown. "Hi, Boys," she said.
They smiled and said their greetings.
"Marie!" Violet called down.
"Come on down, baby." Marie yelled back up.
The Boys came closer to the slides end once again. "Who's coming?" Quickie asked.
"My little sister, Violet, she's probably around your age. She's five, how old are you?" Marie queried.
"I don't remember." He said.
"Oh, that's okay, I'm sorry." Marie turned back to the slide and held out her arms as she heard Violet's shrieks of delight. She popped out at the bottom and fell right into Marie's arms.
"Let's do it again!" She said excitedly. Then she noticed all the boys and she stood up and hid behind Marie's back. "Who are all them?"
"They're the Lost Boys, like Slightly." Marie said, and then she remembered about her apology to him. "I'm going to go away for a few minutes, but I'll be back soon, okay? You stay with Ethan and Peter and the other Lost Boys."
"I want to come with you." Violet was a little shy around new people, but only for a few minutes.
"Where are you going?" Quickie questioned.
"I need – go – talk – to – someone, I'll be right back, don't worry." Marie said.
"Oh, are you going to talk to Slight?" Nibbs whispered real quietly. Marie nodded. "He's in our room, right through that door." He directed.
"Thanks." Marie said, and headed towards the door.