Peter Pan

A Different Wendy

Chapter Nine

"What do you mean he killed you?" Marie asked Peter, backing away from him a little.

"In my dream," Peter explained. "He brought me to that dark room, and – and he killed me."

"Why did he kill you?" Tootles asked dumbly.

"Because he doesn't like him, stupid," Nibbs said. "That is the reason why he's sending the dreams to us."

"No, that might not be why." Slightly spoke up and everyone looked at him. "Well, I know every old person in Neverland hates Peter, no offense, but I don't think someone would just send these dreams to us for no reason, they have to mean something."

"You don't know for sure that it's not just another obsessive freak, like Hook, who wants Peter Pan dead just because of who he is. Hook is proof of that, I mean, there isn't really any other reason for him to hate Peter, he did start it by…well, you all know." Tootles looked over at Peter and decided not to say what he was going to.

"What? I don't know." Marie asked. "You don't have to tell me, but it would be nice to know what everyone else knows, if you know what I mean." Marie winked, smiling at Nibbs who was standing right next to her.

"Well, it's not exactly something Peter likes to talk about, and he's forbidden us to use her name ever again." Tootles went on hesitantly.

"Its fine, you can tell her." Peter said.

"The whole deal with Peter and Hook started the minute Peter got here." Nibbs started.

"Yeah, Hook saw him and freaked out. He thought it was his island and challenged Peter to a sword fight. That's when Peter cut off Hook's right hand." Tootles took over telling the tale.

"Ever since then Hook's been trying to kill Peter." Slightly added, "That is, if that crocodile hadn't finally got him, he would be."

"I'll finish it." Peter said. "I had a sister, she was four years younger than me, and her name was Hilary. She was the only person I ever really loved. I went back for her when she turned ten, but when Hook found out who she was he took her from me. And when I went to get her, he made her walk the plank and she drowned because I wasn't fast enough." Peter looked down, ashamed of himself.

"Oh, Peter," Marie wanted to touch his arm to comfort him, but she was afraid of what he would do. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you had nothing to do with it." Peter said, but he took her hand for a minute when she reached out to touch his shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault, though, Peter." Slightly said.

"Yes it was. I should have been there for her." Peter answered. "But I don't want to get into this, let's get back to what we were talking about before."

"Okay, so tomorrow you'll have some of us scout for a place to build our new hideout, and a few of us will try to come up with a plan to get rid of this guy." Nibbs decided.

"Alright, we'll try that." Peter nodded.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Marie. She had been thinking about that box of her mother's and was getting more curious by the minute. She had to find out what was in it. So she jumped up and turned to walk away, then turned back around.

Marie frowned, "Hang on, I'll be right back." She sprinted out of the room and returned with her duct-taped box. "This was my mother's." She said. "And I remember when I was little she put this together for me to have when I was older. I never thought about it then, but now that I think about it, she acted as if she knew she was going to die."

"What does this have to do with me dying in my dream?" Peter asked.

"Just stop being the conceited boy that you are for one minute and let me have the attention so I can try and explain this." Marie was struggling with the tape, it was everywhere and she couldn't seem to get it off. "Do any of you have a…" Slightly cut the tape off the box with his knife for her. "Thanks. " She pulled the lid off and threw it on the ground when she saw what was in it she sat on the ground.

"What's wrong, Marie?" Tootles asked. Marie didn't even hear him.

"Just give her a minute," Slightly said.

Marie took out a dusty leather book that was her mother's diary from when she was younger. Marie knew because she found it in the attic one day when they were cleaning, and her mom took it away from her. Marie didn't know it was to put it in here. She opened the cover and saw, written neatly on the first page, her mother's signature when she was a little younger than herself right now: Wendy Miora Angela Darling

Marie touched her mother's name. She flipped through the pages, not quite reading the words, but just looking. Then she got to the last page: I have never felt so much like a child. When they Boys told me they were leaving I refused to look or speak to any of them, and especially not Peter when he arrived, thought I wanted to give him a hug. After they went back to Neverland with Peter, I cried and I refused to come out of my room for dinner. I felt bad shutting Mother out, and I will apologize later, but I didn't want to see her discouraged face. She is just as upset as I am and she loved every single one of those Boys. How could he do that to us? The Boys were fine here! They loved it, but Peter Pan cannot live on his own, and he couldn't function on his own, so he had to come back and take the Boys back to Neverland. I don't understand why they didn't just say no to him. I would have, but that is only because I thought I was in love with him once. Well, that was just a stupid dream and I don't even think I really was, but I'm so confused about everything. I thought I liked another Boy who Peter just had to take away too. Slightly promised even if Peter came back he wouldn't go with him. He said he was going to stay with me. He made me so mad today. He didn't even say goodbye, he just left like the rest of them did. Maybe I should give up on love, because it has certainly given up on me.

Wendy Darling

"Oh my god," Marie breathed. She looked up at Slightly. "I don't believe this." Then she looked over at Peter. She shook her head.

"What's wrong? Let me see." Nibbs said. Marie tilted the page so he and Tootles could read it, but when they were about to say something she shut the book and put it down beside the box.

"If you say one word I will go home," Marie threatened. "Please, just don't say anything." She added when Nibbs opened his mouth to speak.

"I won't say anything, I promise." Tootles said, "And neither will he."

"Good." Marie whispered. She saw Slightly and Peter exchange looks out of the corner of her eye. She looked back at them and shook her head once more. Then she dug through the rest of the box.

The next things were two more journals, which Marie put aside for now, because she wasn't sure she could handle much more about her mother's personal life. If she found out her mom had been in love with every single Lost Boy at one point or another, she would scream. So she took out an old photograph book. On the first few pages there were just picture from after her mother got married and had her and Ethan. Most of them were her and her mother, and Ethan as a baby and young child. There was not one single picture of her father in there. She flipped ahead to the next few pages, but it went from Marie's childhood, to her mother's childhood. There was a family picture of Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Uncle Jon, and Uncle Michael, also Nana and Aunt Millicent snuck in there. There were more pictures of just Jon, Michael and Wendy. Then Marie turned the page and saw a picture of all the Boys, except for Peter and Slightly, crowded around her mother's mother. They were smiling at the camera, and they looked a little younger than they were now. Marie guessed it was the night they were taken in by her grandparents. Then there was a picture of Slightly and her mother's Aunt Millicent just below it. Marie flipped to the next page which was a picture of Peter and her mother, and Marie smiled, they looked so happy together, and yet in their eyes there was sadness. This must have been when Peter came back to say goodbye to her. Wendy had told Marie all about that. Then below that was Jon, Michael and all of the Boys dressed up in pirates' costumes for a story they were performing for Marie's grandparents. The last picture was of Slightly, smiling, with his arm around a blushing Wendy, they were both around Marie's age now, so it must have been just before the Boys came back to Neverland. Marie snapped the book shut and put it on the ground beside the journals.

Marie rubbed her temples; she was beginning to get a headache from all of this. She noticed the Boys were quiet this whole time and she wondered what they were doing. She looked up to see Nibbs and Tootles looking nervous. Marie raised her eyebrows at them, but they smiled falsely and pretended to talk to each other. Marie picked up the photo album and placed it back into the box, she would look at the rest of the things later. She went to pick up her mother's diaries and found only two where she'd put them, one was missing. Marie's eyes shot over to Peter's bed, where Slightly and him were reading it.

"Give it back!" Marie burst and ripped the book from Slightly's hands. She threw it in the box and put the lid back on. She glared and Peter and Slightly. "Go back to sleep, and let the poor Boys sleep late tomorrow, they had a bad night." Marie directed to Peter, but she smiled at Tootles and Nibbs. "Goodnight, Boys." She touched Tootle's cheek and Nibbs's shoulder and went back to her bed, where she found Violet sprawled across it.

She pushed the little girl over gently; happy her sweet little sister came back and didn't hold a grudge, and squeezed into the bed next to her. Marie kissed Violet's forehead and whispered, "I love you, baby."

Violet opened her eyes and sniffled, "I love you too." She cuddled closer and went back to sleep.