Chapter 2: Irresistible
"No, I don't think I have. Is it good?" said Lilly with intrigue.
"Oh, I think you'll like this one. Mother used to tell it to me all the time," replied Jane, who was getting settled on the bed. She laid across it long ways leaning on her elbow and looking up at Lilly who was too anxious to sit still. "As I said, it's about a boy named Peter Pan, and"
"Well THAT is a strange last name! What's his sister's name? Patty Pot?" Lilly mocked as she went into fits of laughter. Jane's face went red with anger as she gave her sister the most bone-chilling glare. Lilly simply ignored it. She knew Jane had quite the temper but could not stop laughing at her own little joke.
"Well haven't you ever heard of the Great god Pan? He was in Greek mythology; the god of nature. Maybe that's why his name is Peter Pan," Jane stated. Then she realized that they may have shared the same name, but there was hardly any relation between the two. Yes, Peter liked to live in the wilderness but he was still like a normal person. And there was the part about the Great god Pan being part faun. Their personalities, maybe, are what could have made them alike: humorous, adventurous, and lusty. Well, perhaps just Humorous and adventurous. Peter was still just a boy. She added one more comment to make herself like she knew what she was talking about, "Don't you ever pay attention in school? We learned about this."
"Of course I do. Goodness, I was only having a bit of fun," Lilly shot back a little irritably. She urged Jane to continue on with the story anyway.
"Alright, you know that all children have to grow up, right?"
"Yes?"
"Well, all children do…. except one. Peter Pan is a very special boy. He lives in a place called Neverland, where you never grow up. As a young child, he went there and has lived there for so long, that no one knows how long it's been, not even Peter himself."
"Skip the prologue, please. I want to get to the real story here!"
"You are terribly impatient, you know that? Fine then. I'll skip to the good part. Do you want to know a secret?" said Jane, whose voice went down into a low whisper.
"What is it?"
"Mother met Peter Pan. She went to Neverland!"
"Oh, do tell me about it!"
And so the story went on. Jane went into any and all details that she knew (and a few that she conjured up herself) about her mother's exciting exploration of Neverland. She covered everything from Hook to the Black Castle to walking the plank. She didn't even THINK to leave out the part about her mother and Peter and the hidden kiss. For a girl, that was the best part. As Lilly sighed in a dreamy way that only little girls can, something caught her eye. Instantly, her thoughts went back to the shadow that had been following them on the way home. Whether Jane believed it or not, Lilly knew that there had been someone there. She stopped paying attention to her sister's story and when Jane became aware of this, she brought the tale to a halt and question the little girl about what was wrong.
"I saw something again," she said rather quietly as she stared intently at the window. "That person who was following us is back."
"For the last time, Lilly, no one was behind us when we were walking home. I don't understand at all why you've become so suspicious that there is someone after us," said Jane peevishly. Truth be told, she just didn't want to hear about worries of a stalker because she knew that she herself might get frightened.
"Stop being so loud! What if they try to break in through the window?"
"They won't, trust me. Would you like to know why? You're imagining things!"
"For once, just listen to me on this. There it is again!" whispered Lilly and as Jane turned around, she could not deny the darkened figure that could be seen in the tree outside the bedroom window.
"Hide. Now!" urged Jane as she pushed her sister off the bed and continued to lead her to the closet. Just as they were opening the closet door, the window lock turned. A rush of adrenalin hit both of the girls as they hurried into their hiding place and shut the door. Lilly was deathly afraid and Jane held her close and stroked her hair to calm her. She peered out of the closet through a narrow crack and witnessed the window nearly fly out of the pane. The curtains flapped in the sudden rush of wind coming from outside as a pair of very dirty feet came in contact with the floor. Jane almost gasped aloud.
"What's happening?" whispered Lilly as quietly as she could while still rushing for an answer.
"It's him. He's back."
Lilly wriggled her way in front of Jane so she could also see through the small crack. There she viewed an odd looking boy with sun-kissed blonde, ruffled hair and clothing that looked like something out of The Swiss Family Robinson. Any skin that was exposed was dirt streaked and his hands rested firmly on his hips; legs shoulder length apart in almost a pose. Lilly was awestruck. She didn't have to be told who it was. Jane's surprise and Lilly's recent knowledge of Peter Pan's history with this place gave her no reason to need to ask who this unfamiliar boy was. He was the boy who never grew up.
Lilly took it upon herself to introduce herself to Peter so she opened the closet door just enough for her own small self to get out and approached the now surprised visitor. She did a little curtsey like Jane had said mother did and Peter bowed back in an awkward fashion. Apparently he hadn't done this for a long time.
"Are you who I think you are?" asked Lilly and Peter seemed confused.
"Well who do you think I am?" he asked back and the moment her spoke, Jane's heart nearly stopped. It really was him. What was he doing here?
"Are you Peter Pan?" Lilly said, clearing up the confusion and Peter gave a large grin. He liked being recognized like some sort of celebrity. Jane rolled her eyes with a tolerant smile and remembered how vain Peter was.
"Yes, indeed I am. And you are?" he said with more of a cheery quality.
"Lilly Parker. My sister was just telling me about you, you know!" she said as-a-matter-of-factly.
"Was she now? Where is your sister?" he said glancing around the room.
"In the closet. We were afraid you were someone here to hurt us."
Peter walked over to the door that Lilly was pointing at and pushed the door open to reveal Jane standing very stiff and almost a bit nervous. Peter smirked at her. He remembered her too.
"Hello again, Peter," said Jane when she had found her voice again.
"Hello, Jane. Living in a closet now, are you?" he teased and Jane rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove as she walked passed him to exit the confined closet.
"You never told me that you knew Peter Pan!" squealed the younger girl as she stood wide-eyed. "Not fair!"
"What's not fair?" said Peter.
"Both Jane and Mother went on some amazing, fantastic quest with you and what do I get?" whined Lilly and Jane was about to say something before Peter did but he beat her to it.
"Come back with me then!"
"NO!" objected Jane right away. There was absolutely, positively no way that Peter was going to steal her sister away. Knowing Lilly, she may never come back. Jane knew her sister wasn't as sensible as their mother or herself. Besides, who did Peter think he was barging in like this?
"What? Why not, Jane? You've been to Neverland and I'm sure you loved it!" gushed Lilly as Peter even gave her a pleading look. She held her ground firmly and dismissed the idea once more. Lilly begged and pleaded the way only little girls can but Jane shut her eyes tight and refused to listen. It was then that she heard a familiar jingle. Some one was ringing bells in the house. When she had opened her eyes, her feet were no longer touching the floor! She then recognized that sound of bells. How could she forget? Tinkerbelle (who had become quite fond of Jane in their last adventure) was flying near by with a big, cheery smile on her face. When she turned to look back at Lilly, Peter's face came into view first. He floated there next to her with that half smile plastered on his face and one eyebrow arched in a way that almost seemed to challenge Jane. Jane could never resist a challenge.
"Come back with us," he asked one more time and Jane looked behind the boy to her sister that was literally jumping up and down with excitement. She had never seen Lilly so excited and happy before. What kind of person would she be if she took that away?
She sighed in resignation and nodded.
"Alright. We'll go," she answered and Lilly squealed giddily as Tink hovered over her and almost seemed to do a little jig as the fairy dust showered down onto the petite little girl underneath. Lilly's giggles were so loud as she ascended into the air that Betsy, the maid, called up the stairs to the girls and told them to stop playing and go to sleep. They both answered, "Yes, ma'am!" and silently soared out of the open window.
"What made you come back, Peter?" asked Jane once they were high enough to tip-toe across chimneys.
"I can't resist a story about me," he said back and Lilly sped past them doing all sorts of tricks and fun flips. Jane laughed heartily and Peter said to them both, "We're off to Neverland!"
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A/N: Another chapter, another symbolizing title. My titles will often hint at what is going to happen in the chapter. Sometime it's not obvious, but in this one, it was pretty clearly stated. Peter Can't resist a story, Jane can't resist a challenge, and she can't resist Peter either. Feedback is always welcome!
