Hello faithful readers!
I am terribly sorry for the lack of updates
in recent weeks...months...well, you know.
It's been a madhouse here at my house, but
enough about that, here is the latest installment,
and THANK YOU SO MUCH for those of
you kind and sweet enough to put in a review to
get this writer's block out of the way! And to those
of you who went out of their way to e-mail me
suggestions and inspire, thank you!
This one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger,
but have no worries, the next chapter is
already in the works and I swear it will
be up far sooner than the previous
chapters have been! At least, I hope so! laugh
Thank you again,
- R.H.J. )-
Chapter 14: Not young enough to know everything
"Peter!" John cried furiously, grabbing the squirming boy tightly within his arms. He felt the young bones itching to be free, to burst free from the older boy's grasp and soar into the sky he was born to control.
"You must stop, Peter! Calm yourself!"
"Let me go!" Peter seethed back, his face morphing into something ugly and foreign. His pearly teeth ground together, and John screeched as those once innocent teeth dug into his forearm.
"Michael! Grab him!" John released Peter jerkily, gripping his arm and howling in fresh pain. He couldn't remember the last time he felt real pain in this Never land.
"I've got him." Michael held the struggling Peter tightly, tears threatening to fall. The rest of the Lost Boys looked on in dull shock and John observed it must be a highly hard thing to do, to turn against one's former hero and he felt ill about forcing this upon them all. But he could not risk his sister's life again.
"Tie his wrists," he whispered shakily, his voice threatening to crack. "And his feet. Bind them tightly and then tie him to the large tree over there. We shall take turns watching him. He cannot escape."
The Lost Boys shot uneasy looks at one another, and all at once John felt his fury building at the thought of being disobeyed. He whirled back towards them, his face turning a horrifying shade of deep purple.
"I said tie him!"
All at once the boy's started, and rushed over to the squirming Peter. They could not meet his eyes as several held him to the ground. Two held his wrists and legs as they were bound tightly, in a fashion of real vines and discarded rope. Not the rope of imagination.
"COWARDS!" shouted Peter furiously, his lithe body still shaking and writhing upon the dirt ground. "All of you! COWARDS!I rescued you all from this form of torment! I saved you all from grown ups and look what you've done! You've brought one right to you. To order you about! IDIOTS!"
He prepared to sail into the air, and may have made it were it not for the astute and quick reflexes of Tootles. He grasped the long vines in his dusty hands and gripped it tightly, drawing the shouting and bleary eyed Peter to the ground.
"Well done, Tooles," John said with a small nod in his general direction. And for once, Tootles did not enjoy his recognition. A small circle surrounded Peter then, who sat cross legged, with his head hanging low and a strange shaking taking over his body.
"He's crying," one voice finally whispered as a single teardrop slipped to the dirt floor. "I DO NOT CRY!" Peter screamed, shaking all at once and looking with fury back at John who kneel just out of the boy's reach.
"Peter," John said darkly looking to the boy. "You must have control of your emotions. If you do not, Wendy is in even more peril than before. You know that your moods have the ability to control the weather...you must force yourself to be more peaceful."
"She may die for all I care now," Peter replied evenly. "You have made sure of that, Mr. Darling. Grown up. I will never help you now. Wendy shall perish before I come to her aid now."
"Peter," Michael insisted from behind him. "You can't mean that."
"But I do," said Peter in a chillingly calm voice. His light eyes had grown quite dulled, and he turned with the most sinister of grins as he looked over to Michael.
"I mean it completely."
"Oh Peter," Wendy moaned to herself under the bed, turning a light shade of grey. The boat had been rocking madly for at least an hour since the Captain had left, and Wendy had grown more sea sick with every passing moment.
She lay her head against the cool planks of the floor, closing her eyes and attempting to steady her mind. Her fingers gripped the wood, scraping as she was shifted as large wave upon wave crashed against the Jolly Roger.
Time passed. She didn't know how much time had passed since the last wave. It suddenly felt uneasily still on the floor of the room. They were unmoving. She lay under the bed for this entire time, praying for the Captain's speedy return. She had been praying for such for what seemed like an eternity.
But suddenly, as if all prayers had been answered, the door to her room flew open and in stumbled the Captain. Looking completely disheveled, his shirt torn and sullied, he shut the door to the room behind him, looking round confused.
"Wendy?"
"Captain," Wendy cried out, crawling from under her bed and observing how beaten and tired he looked. "Oh my goodness...what happened?"
He looked to the young girl, so concerned and smiled ever so slightly. She smiled gently up at him, her eyes questioning and compassionate.
"I stayed here, just as you said," she offered when several moments had passed.
"I know."
She wore the dress he had left her in, and he realized she had been hiding under the bed the entire time. She shivered slightly. Alone in this cold, foreboding room.
"Come to me, Wendy." He held out a lean, pale hand. Wendy felt her stomach churning as she looked into his steady gaze, and yet she drew towards him feeling not frightened, but entranced.
She placed her hand upon his, and steeled herself against the cool touch of skin and rain. All at once he had turned, taking her with him out the door of her room. Wendy felt her heart racing, and it did not slow its beat until they stood outside his Captain's quarters. "There is a fireplace within," he explained, after seeing her questioning eyes. He viewed her nod, and stepped aside for her to step in before him.
"Oh my," Wendy commented as they stepped in, seeing the alterations of the previously dull room. Hook shrugged off his overcoat, letting it drop onto the wood floor with a squishing sound. He threw several nearby logs into the hearth, lightly it with one of his matches.
"It will only take a moment to warm up," Hook murmured, watching as she hugged herself tightly, looking around the quarters with newfound interest. He'd had a new, larger bed moved into his new quarters. Exquisitely carved, with the most beautiful crimson sheets with gold trim. Better yet were the beautifully sown white pillows with gold embroidery laying atop it.
The Captain's desk sat near the darkened window, an array of papers upon it, the quill perched in it's inkwell smartly, next to his seal and pieces of dark red wax.
Two large and comfortable looking chairs sat before the fire, large and beautiful carved and embroidered with the most intriguing of designs. In the middle sat a large bottle of wine, and two glasses. Everything was so sumptuous looking.
Wendy watched Hook light several lanterns and candles, giving the room a most cheery glow. Wendy was still gazing at the transformed room when a large blanket draped over her shoulders. She started a bit, calming when she felt the Captain's warm hand on her shoulder through the fabric.
"Sit before the fire, Wendy." Hook insisted, giving her the lightest of pushes in the direction of the hearth. "You're shivering."
"Me?" Wendy inquired, giving a backward look over her shoulder, not bothering to inform the Captain that she was not shivering from the cold at all, but from his touch. "What about yourself? You've been on deck for hours!"
"Indeed," Hook replied with an easy smile. "But I must change"
"Then will you tell me what happened?"
"Of course, my dear."
Wendy nodded, turning and seating herself in one of the large chairs, she snuggled into the warmth gratefully, and let her eyes become hypnotized by the dancing, twirling pumpkin colored flames.
She knew then that this had developed into something deeper than she had even realized. The feelings she had for the Captain weren't easily dismissed, and she had realized this lying under the bed this evening, praying earnestly for Hook's return. Not simply to ensure her ongoing safety...no, it was a prayer for her Hook to return to her. To hold her and to love her.
'Love,' Wendy thought with a shake of her head. 'How terribly foolish of me to fall in love with a man like Hook. He would laugh himself silly if he were to hear such a thing. No, a man like James Hook does not love. He covets.'
Moments later the Captain sat in the chair adjacent to her own, dressed in a similar outfit as before. Wendy observed this with mingled interest and slight perplexity. "Do you not have leisure clothes?" Wendy inquired, confused at his ornate apparel.
"I do," replied Hook, 'but a good Captain does not succumb to leisure time."
"Ever?"
"Rarely."
A moment passed, not that there was any clock to indicate so. Wendy watched the flames mirror themselves in the Captain's almost ethereal eyes and she contained a sigh of contentment. Contentment of what one may ask? Wendy could not be entirely certain. It was a mixture, she decided later, of the warmth of the fire, mixed with the strangest realization of relaxation.
"Everything is fine for now," Hook insisted, closing his eyes momentarily and taking away the light picture within his gaze. "The sea has calmed itself, but there is still something amiss. The sea feels unsettled."
"What happened though?" Wendy insisted, probing for details. There was an excitement in her that did not die with age, but more bid its time for such occasions. "Did you have to fend off any sea creatures?"
Hook's eyes opened slightly, and he glanced over at the flushed girl, giving her the most easy of smirks. How excitable she could become in the face of adventure or adversity. "Oh Wendy," he complained with a lie, "I'm afraid it was maddeningly dull up there. Not a hint of a creature or mad mermaid to speak of. There were only raging winds and men falling overboard and- Oh, you're probably finding all of this impossibly dull."
"Oh no!" Wendy insisted, falling into his invisible grip he had on her. "Tell me what happened, please!"
And so Hook regaled Wendy with tales of his on board adventures, that seemed all the better in having now that he had someone to share them with. And with every sound of awe or encouragement, the Captain felt himself growing more and more into the man he thought had been lost within himself these last passing years.
Before they knew it, several hours had passed and Wendy was stifling a large yawn. The Captain saw this and smiled, yet felt the greed of wanting her company longer.
"Have a drink," he offered, pouring the lightly colored wine into two separate glasses. He waited for the girl to resist, remembering that she did not seem that keen on wine.
"What is it?" Wendy inquired, not wishing to leave the Captain's company any earlier than she had to. She didn't care that she was being drawn into his mystery and charm, and she most certainly did not want to leave him, especially tonight. Perhaps not ever. All of a sudden, there was a crack of thunder, and the sound of rain being poured upon the ship. Wendy looked to the Captain in fear, only to see him casually sipping his wine.
"Worry not, Miss Darling," he assured her. "The sea is not rocking, and the rain is expected after such a storm. My men are highly prepared for this. Sit back and calm yourself. The drink you hold in your hand is a mixture of berries and dew from the island not even a half a days journey away."
"I should like to visit such a place," Wendy said, draining her glass of the mixture. It tasted delicious, and she found herself wishing that all drinks tasted of such sweet nectar and cream.
"Perhaps you shall someday," said the Captain wistfully, looking into the eyes of a very aware Wendy Darling. She flushed slightly, looking to Hook with a small smile.
"If I didn't know better myself, Captain," Wendy said suddenly, later blaming her verbal recklessness on moment, "I'd think that you were attempting to seduce me." She offered a small giggle at this, that died the instant Hook's intense gaze met hers.
"Do you wish to be seduced, Miss Darling?"
"No, sir," Wendy replied quickly, her cheeks flaming pink as her eyes drew back to the drink in her hand. She internally reprimanded herself for walking into such an obvious trap. Her mouth did run away with her, and at the worst of times it would seem.
She felt her cheeks burning, and without as much as a glance in the Captain's direction, Wendy knew that he was about to speak. Or, he would have, had it not been for a sudden banging on the door.
Two sets of eyes stared at the door, as the elder of the two rushed over to the door, whipping it open with an animal look in his eyes. There in the hallowed doorway stood a quivering Smee, looking up to Captain as if he were his last salvation.
"Smee, what is it?" Hook barked after a moment's silence. Faint calls above deck could be heard, thumps and sickening thuds as well.
"Captain, it's the mermaids..." Smee's eyes were glazed, "They're everywhere."
"Mermaids?" Hook chortled, "You've come down here in such a state to inform me of a few mermaids?"
Wendy watched Smee's pale head shake from side to side in a slow, hypnotic trance. And all mirth that had been showcased on the smug Captain's face died as the hollow voice of Smee rang out only once more:
"Captain...we're surrounded."