Chapter 5: Dance of the Drums

Upon arriving in the village, the chief demanded to know who they were.

Once Peter hastily explained the situation to him, John, Michael, and the Lost Boys were released from the stake, and the natives held a ceremony in Peter and Mindy's honor. The chief thanked them for saving the princess in sign language, and gave them their Native names.

Peter's was Little Flying Eagle, and Mindy's was Little Swimming Dolphin.

Then, the chief passed the pipe around in a circle.

Mindy didn't want to be rude, so she smiled politely and pretended to smoke it without actually inhaling. After that, the celebration began. There was singing, dancing, and lots of eating. There was a long table made of bamboo that had all kinds of food on it: pineapples, starfruit, cantaloupes, yams, apples, and there was even a roast pig. A huge bonfire had been lit in the center of the camp, and the natives danced around in a circle; whooping and hollering at the top of their lungs. Every once in a while the lighting would change from red to orange to yellow, but Mindy had decided a long time ago not to question cartoon logic.

She was currently leaned up against a totem pole and watched the festivities from afar while nodding her head to the beat of the drums.

The minute the chief accepted she and Peter as members of the tribe, Mindy had been given dry clothes to change into. She now wore a traditional yet stylish Native outfit. It was a tan-colored dress that brushed just above her knees with light-brown fringe on the collar and the skirt. Tiger Lily had generously braided Mindy's hair and put a beaded headband on her head for the occasion. She also had been kind enough to lend her a pair of straw sandals for her feet.

Her old clothes were hanging up to dry next to the fire, and she could see a few tribe members curiously poking at her leather boots. She smirked and wrapped a wooly blanket tighter around herself for warmth.

Mindy's eyes twinkled with nostalgia as she spotted Tiger Lily dancing on top of a drum while a highly controversial Disney song blared throughout the camp. She jumped off of it and hopped around with her hands swaying in time to the lively tune.

She had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh as the princess strode over to Peter and rubbed her nose against his. The boy's cheeks flushed beet red as he whooped into the sky. Mindy then noticed Wendy walking into the camp with logs of wood in her arms. When she looked up, her mouth dropped open in shock at the sight before her. Tiger Lily and Peter proceeded to bounce around the drum with wide enthusiastic grins on their faces. Wendy threw down the firewood with an indignant fiery glare as they leapt onto the drum and rubbed noses again.

Mindy watched as she tried to calm down her two brothers John and Michael. However, her efforts were in vain as they promptly joined in on the craziness of the celebration. She then spoke with a husky Native woman before storming out of the camp. Mindy considered going after her to offer words of condolence, but she didn't want to screw up the plot any more than she already had that day.

All the more reason why you should get home as soon as possible.

What? Her eyes narrowed at the sudden intrusion, But…but I don't want-

"-Hey, you."

Mindy snapped her head upright and flinched.

"Little Flying Eagle" clutched his sides in laughter at the mousy, albeit petrified expression on her face.

"Don't do that!"

Peter's eyes glinted apologetically. "Sorry… I just saw you all the way over here by your lonesome self and wondered why you weren't joining in on the fun."

"Parties aren't exactly my thing." Mindy regrettably informed him. "I don't really like the loud music, crowded atmosphere, or the pressure to participate in…whatever that is." She gestured to The Lost Boys who were doing some sort of weird variation of the chicken dance, "I prefer to stay off on the sidelines and not be noticed in any way, shape, or form in case I do or say something stupid."

"You're not stupid!" He nudged her lightly, "I took care of the codfish, and you did the rest! Which means that we have to celebrate!"

"I don't have to do anything." She couldn't help it as a giggle escaped her lips. "Besides, I'm not much of a dancer."

"It's easy." Peter offered his hand with an encouraging smile. "Come on, what've ya got to lose?"

Mindy pondered his question…What DO I have to lose?

Respect, dignity, self-esteem, shall I keep going?

No, you shouldn't. She deliberately tuned out that irksome little voice inside of her brain before taking hold of the kid's outstretched hand.

Peter beamed as he yanked her onto the chaos that was the dance floor. He immediately started bouncing around the drum and hooting like a complete party animal while Mindy looked on in befuddlement.

Her eyes grew to the size of watermelons as someone grabbed her hands from behind, and spun her into a dizzy, nauseating circle. With a start, she realized that it had been Tiger Lily's way of getting her to dance with her. Giving in, Mindy attempted to mimic her movements to the best of her ability, but it was obvious that she was nowhere near as experienced as the princess.

The way Tiger Lily waved her arms as she twirled reminded her of a bird's wings as it glided on the breeze. It was a mystifying, lively, dance that she knew she would never be able to emulate, so she attempted to make her gestures as diminutive and subtle as possible.

As the celebration progressed however, she gradually became more and more confident with the steps of the dance.

Tiger Lily grinned from ear-to-ear as she and Mindy started swaying in unison. This in turn, caused the once awkward teen to smile as well. Only this time, it wasn't painstakingly strained… it was genuine, and it actually showed off her teeth for a change.

Soon, she began to improvise the steps as she went along (much to the delight of everyone else).

Mindy laughed as she whirled, clapped, and stomped. She wasn't even afraid to abstractly vocalize with the music as she hopped onto the center drum. The overwhelming amount of joy that swelled in her chest at that moment caused her surroundings to melt away into nothingness.

She was so lost in her own little world that she failed to register that her necklace was casting a faint glow from underneath her dress.

Mindy started adding various cartwheels, somersaults, and front-hand springs into her made-up routine. This new development caused the whole tribe to sit down in a semi-circle to cheer on their newest member, but she was completely oblivious to their shouts of encouragement.

She closed her eyes in bliss as she surrendered herself to the music.

Her vibrant smile (as well as the light radiating off of her chest) outshone even the massive bonfire behind her. She was having an absolute blast as she spun in an endless circle and the drums pounded louder and louder and louder… until they abruptly stopped and caused Mindy to freeze in place with her arms up in an ending pose.

She was brought back to reality by the thunderous applause from her audience.

Mindy stiffened.

She shook her head to regain her composure before pushing up her glasses to keep them from teetering off the bridge of her nose.

She opened her mouth to make a self-deprecating comment about how much of a hot mess she was, when she FINALLY noticed the beams of golden light streaking out from the confides of her dress. Before she had the chance to properly react, the sounds of her surroundings faded away as a powerful force infiltrated her essence.

Mindy flinched in alarm.

An unnatural tingly sensation was coursing throughout her entire body, and her eyes were rapidly flooding with a shimmery milky white substance that she couldn't identify. Then, a series of vivid images started to flash into her reeling mind: butterflies floating over a meadow, stunning star-filled skies, a bed made out of leaves, splashing tails, and ominous sails billowing in the wind. It got to the point where the pictures started whizzing at supersonic speed, and Mindy was having trouble comprehending just exactly what she was looking at. All she could see were muddled colors and undistinguishable shapes.

Am I…am I having a stroke?

She doubled over when the chief came over and gave her a hearty slap on the back, "Little Swimming Dolphin has earned her place among us with her unusual otherworldly dance."

The colors of her eyes flashed back to silver in an instant as she wheezed, "Thanks."

She wasn't sure if she had imagined it, but she could've sworn that she had caught him smiling as he walked away. Tiger Lily then attacked her from behind with a hug to congratulate her for her performance. Mindy whirled around with a smile of gratitude before the princess walked away to join her father.

Huh…I've never earned my place anywhere before. She mused with a wistful expression. Maybe…maybe it's just my imagination but…this place is starting to feel more like home…and I don't know why.