This chapter isn't complete, but I'm interested to hear what you guys think of it so far! I'll update the continuation of the chapter soon, but only if I get reviews.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cool breeze floated into the room and gently touched the surface of Marie's cheek. Adjusting herself in a warmer position, she shifted to the other side. The cold air caused her to stir in her sleep. Blinking, she forced her blue eyes open. Upon seeing a shadow in her room, she sat up abruptly, blinking her eyelids repeatedly until her vision was no longer a blur. Sitting up straight in alert, she spoke to the boy, "Who are you?"
Eyes looking behind the boy, she realized the window was open. However, before she fell asleep it was closed. She redirected her calculating gaze on him.
Grinning the boy replied, "Peter Pan."
In return a grin formed Marie's lips, but eyed him in disbelief. Eyebrow raised, she responded "Peter Pan?" She looked above him to see if there were any strings attached or around the room. Eyes alert she repeated, "Peter Pan isn't real? Who are you? How did you get in this room?"
Lips appeared as a frown he responded, "I told you, I'm Peter Pan. I flew in here, of course." The teenager wasted no time flying instantly to the young girl as she held her mouth open to scream for help. "Shhh. See. I just flew. I'm telling you the truth. I'm Peter Pan!" He held his hand tightly against her lips, but not too tight. "I'll let go, if you promise not to scream." Her eyes were wide at that very moment. He didn't really trust her at first, but she nodded. Looking into her wide-eyes, he removed his hands.
Lifting her hands she felt above him to find any strings attacked. Perhaps they might have been invisible, but there weren't any to be found. Peter raised his eyebrow to figure out what she was trying to do. The only thing her hand reached out to was mid air. "You...really...flew?"
Peter looked at her as though she was crazy and supposed to know. "Yes." Grinning he continued, "And I can teach you how to fly, too!"
Marie sat there in her bed with continued disbelief. "How?"
"All it takes if faith, trust," still in sitting position, Peter lifted off the bed, grinning, "And a little bit of pixie dust!"
He's flying right before my eyes! I must be dreaming! To assure herself she wasn't dreaming, Marie gently placed her hand upon his cheek. His eyes looked at her hand from the corner of her eye and back at her, smiling. After feeling his skin was real she quickly removed her hand, but he gently grabbed it. Freezing in that position for a little bit, he continued to stare into her eyes, and smiled at her, until she returned her smile. At that point, he put his hand just below her chin – touching the tip of his fingers – and blew pixie dust in front of her face. As Marie lifted from the bed, her mouth fell agape.
"I'm flying!" Marie gasped as she watched herself float of the ground. She couldn't help but giggle and smile big. The only time she ever felt joy like this was when she was adopted recently.
Floating to her ten feet off the ground, he held his hand out. "Come away with me. I'll take you to a place where I live." Without thinking, Marie didn't hesitate to grab her hand. Surprised, he interlocked their fingers, and flew out the window. "What's your name?" He whispered.
"Oh! I forgot to tell you my name! How silly of me!" She responded. "My name is Marie. It's nice to meet you Peter Pan. I've never met a boy who could fly before!"
Peter laughed, "That's because I'm the only one, and the best there ever was!"
Normally Marie would roll her eyes at such a prideful comment, but he must have been saying the truth. She only smiled in return. She couldn't be angry at a time like this.
As Peter led the way to Never Land, Marie was astonished and at loss for words. All she could do was smile and giggle. "What is this Never Land? I've never heard of it before."
"Never Land is wear I live. It's filled with pirates, mermaids, fairies, and other creatures! It's a land full of possibilities!"
"Mermaids and fairies!" Marie gasped. "I'd love to see them!"
"I'll show them to you!" Peter said. Within seconds he found a group of fairies flying around each other nearby trees. "Shhh." He said and drew them closer to the fairies.
Marie's eyes were absolutely hooked on the fairies. They were extremely beautiful and everything she had imagined them to be. "Peter, they're beautiful!" She spoke almost in a whisper.
"As are you." Peter commented, unwittingly.
Upon hearing those words, Marie slowly turned to look at him, smile fading a little, but still there. For a minute he had frowned, wondering if she felt uncomfortable, but she was still smiling. Therefore, he smiled in return.
"Do you want to play a game with the fairies?" Peter asked.
"Play a game?" Marie asked in return, astounded. "I'd love to play a game with the fairies!"
Peter floated the two over to the group of fairies and spoke to them like he spoke to her. "Everyone, meet my new friend Marie. She is here to stay. For a welcome, I thought you guys might want to play a game with us?"
The fairies wanted to and they all agreed to play hide and seek. As they continued to play the game, Marie had completely lost track of time, and almost forgot about reality. Hours passed. Before she realized, days had passed. Slowly, she was forgetting the reality of life. It felt good to have fun and play pretend, but after a while, she started to feel an unspeakable void – a void she couldn't really explain. There was something she couldn't quite put her finger on.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
While falling asleep at night, she had a dream about a couple. She didn't know who they were, exactly, but she recognized the pairing.
She'd see them in a house. She dreamt of when they were sad and when they were happy. They were sad about something, but what?
Turning over, Marie stirred in her sleep. By the sound of Marie moving in the bed, Peter awoke. Sitting up slightly, he turned his head, and looked at her. She didn't appear to be having a bad dream, but something must have disturbed her.
The dream switched scenes to a room. The parents were standing in this room. It must have belonged to a child because the bed was small, but it was empty. The parents looked very sad as they scanned the room. A few toys were on the floor – left untouched.
Peter watched her closely as she dreamed. Before, the features on her face looked peaceful. Sometimes she'd smile, talk a little, or laugh a little in her dream.
The boy held his hands out to awaken her, but he didn't have to. Marie had realized the married couple she dreamed about were her parents, and the room was hers. Gasping, she jumped up in the bed, only to find her in Peter's arms suddenly. Pulling away quickly, she swung her legs over the bed.
Peter ceased her by grabbing her hand, "Where are you going? What's wrong?"
Halting, Marie looked back at him. "Peter, where are your parents?"
Creasing his eyebrows he responded, "I don't have any parents. I live alone."
Concern transformed her features. "You live here all alone? How come you don't have any parents?"
"My father spoke of what I was to be when I grew up. I didn't like it so I ran away." He explained.
"You ran away," Marie asked, surprised. "I can't imagine, having my child, run away."
"You don't have to worry about it, because here, you'll never grow up to have kids." He smiled. The words she spoke pierced him. He had never thought of how his parents might have felt, but by this time, it felt like they were only something he dreamed. It seemed as though he never had parents, and somehow appeared in this place. He can't even remember their faces anymore.
"I'm sure it must have been hard for them to lose a child, " Marie said, imagining what it must have been like, but she was only a child.
"Don't talk of such things!" Peter snapped as a command. "That was a long time ago! They don't miss me!" He spoke in denial.
"Peter, I think they do miss you. They must have cried a lot, and wondered what they did wrong. They might have thought you were kidnapped, or-" Before she could speak any further, he put his hand over her mouth, quickly. "Stop it!" He repeated. "I will not tell you again!" Within a minute, he released his hand from her mouth.
"Peter," she paused, "I have to return home. My parents could be feeling very well what I just described."
Peter closed his eyes. The few girls he brought here forgot her parents, but only briefly. Somehow they always managed to remember their parents and home-life. "I don't understand it! Why is it whenever I bring someone here, you forget, but remember your parents? I forgot! If I can forget, than you can forget to!"
Marie didn't really understand his feelings. "Peter, I don't want to forget my parents. I love them," she admitted, knowing he wouldn't like it. "Parents are not all bad. I thought they were at first. My biological parents left me when I was a baby," eyes were downcast as she continued the story, "And I waited for a long time until I was finally adopted." Her eyes looked into his. "When I finally got them, Peter, they taught me so much! It was better than being at an orphanage! It was what I always wanted! Peter, I know you'd feel the same if you allowed yourself to experience it."
"No!" Peter demanded, attempting to stick by his decision. Her words were encouraging and tempting. He never told anyone, but late at night, he'd dream what it's like having parents. He went to bed whenever they wanted. He knew that if he had parents, they'd tell him when to go to bed, but he always wondered what it would be like if they tucked him in at night, and told him stories. He loved hearing stories, and always searched for someone to tell him one.
Walking away from the bed, Marie grabbed a mirror, and walked back to Peter. Holding the mirror up, it showed his reflection. Gasping, Peter stared at himself for a few seconds, and then quickly scrambled to his feet on the floor. "I can't grow up!" He said. Somehow his appearance had changed over the years.
"Peter, it's something even you can't stop." She said, speaking the reality of it. "You're still aging, slowly. I'm afraid to say, I can't always stay here with you. You'll be alone here, but if you have parents, you won't be alone."
What she said was making sense, but he had gotten being used to without parents. He didn't feel he really needed them, and he enjoyed living in Never Land. He couldn't find a way to rebuke her words.
Holding her hand out, she offered him a suggestion. "Peter, I have to return home now. Why don't you come home with me? Listen!" She interrupted him before he could say anything. "If you don't like it you can come back. If you find you like it, you can stay."
"No!" Peter continued to stand his ground.
"Peter, there's so much more you can learn here, and being on Earth isn't all bad. One day, I'm going to grow up, and die. You'll be alone, again. It's going to happen to every person you take to Never Land. No one will want to stay with you because we love our home."
"What about me? I love my home, too! Never Land is my home!" He replied.
"It's your home for now, but have you ever been in a warm bed? Oh, of course you have. You've just forgotten the feel of it. The sheets are so soft. Something about the sheets just make it peaceful...opposed to sleeping what you're sitting on." She made effort to convince him. "Have you ever had someone cook for you? Peter, it tastes so yummy! I know that you'll love it if you try it!"
Frustrated, he sat up, and walked over to her. "You're ruining everything! I never should have brought you here!" He thought about stomping off, but grabbed her hand, and dragged her out of the tree house. "I'm taking you home, but I'm not going with you! You're banished from Never Land! I'll never take you back!"
"Peter!" Marie wanted to desperately convince him, but she was at loss for words, and stunned. He had actually banished her from Never Land! All she said was her true feelings and experiences she had. She'd love to return to Never Land, but if she had to choose, she wanted to stay home.
As he flew her home, when they reached her window, he threw her in there. "I'm not coming back!" He said, but ceased, and looked around the room. He owned all of Never Land, but within this small room, was more than what he had.
Having second thoughts, he flew inside. Tears streamed down Marie's cheek as she watched him. He was going to leave her for good. She didn't want that.
She started to approach him, when her parents entered the room. "Marie!" They ran over to her, and embraced her. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick!"
"I'm sorry Mother!" She hugged them. "I'm alright. I can't explain to you what happened, but I was perfectly safe. I didn't mean to worry you!" Looking at Peter Pan still in the room, she pulled away from them. "Mother, Father, I want you to meet Peter Pan."
The parents stared at the boy in the room, wondering what he was doing with their daughter. "How do you know our daughter?" Her Mom asked, both parents looking at him suspiciously.
"Mom, I found Peter. That's what I was out. He's all alone, and he doesn't have any parents." Running over to Peter she asked, "Can we keep him," with a smile on her face.
Peter didn't like the look on their faces. They didn't seem to welcome him with open arms. Instead, they excused themselves, and walked out of the room for a bit. "They don't want me." Peter convinced himself.
"They'll want you Peter, I know my Mom and Dad."
After a few minutes, they walked back into the room with the final decision. "He can stay, but temporarily for now. Before we decide we have to keep him, we need to talk to the state, and get to know him first."
"You'll send me to an orphanage?" Peter asked, backing into the window.
"No sweetie," Her Mother said, approaching him. "We're not going to send you to an orphanage. We can take care of you for now." Leaning down, she kissed him on the forehead, as she gently placed her hand on the back of his head.
Peter's eyes widened. He never knew how gentle or loving an adult could be. Marie's parents seemed very loving.