Starlight

Chapter Three: The Tree House

Disclaimer: I don't own anything involving Peter Pan, and am writing this story for fun.

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Evie did not know what to expect as the boys approached the tree, and could only think to try to break free of her binds. She pulled and pulled and pulled, watching with wide blue eyes the tree approach, and knowing that it meant certain death to her. Jake's words replayed in her mind,

"If there's one thing Peter hates, its adults."

She felt her heart sink as she glanced down to her matured body, her now dirtied white nightgown. She was definitely an adult, wasn't she? Nearly eighteen… They'd surely kill her! Her struggling began anew as they stopped directly in front of the tree, and she watched through horrified, yet curious blue eyes as Slightly, with a nod of his head, reached up to pull a nearby vine hanging down near the base of the tree.

As he tugged on it, Evie did not expect anything to happen. To her it was just a vine, and these boys, in all their clearly overactive imaginations, were under the impression that it was more.

So imagine her surprise when, as the vine was tugged, six little holes fashioned for each boy appeared in the hollow base of the tree, leading down below it in a long slide. Evie gaped in shock, forgetting to struggle as she was pulled towards the largest of the holes, her mind still trying to wrap around the idea. A house underneath a tree? Holes leading to it? It was absolutely—

"Send her down!"

…What?

Evie's eyes widened just before she was shoved harshly in the back, and she found herself, with a scream, tumbling down onto the slide, her scream echoing behind her as she fell faster and faster down it, seeing only flashes of branches and darkness as she was twisted around, falling, falling, falling…

With another tiny scream she hit the ground with a force that she was sure would make her rump hurt in the morning, her eyes till wide opened and body tensed as she stared for a moment or two at the dirt ground in front of her, trying to get her bearings.

Behind her she could hear the whoops and thuds of the boys as they landed on their feet behind her, one nearly crashing into her with their feet. Recovering with a gasp, Evie jerked herself to her feet before the boys had a chance to manhandle her again, taking in with wide eyes the odd makeshift house she had abruptly fallen into.

The walls, as expected, were made of the tree, and the dirt was strewn with dirt and pine needles. The ceiling, when she looked up, was a mass of intertwining branches that leaked small droplets of sap, which dribbled to the ground only to be caught in aged and chipped pottery bowls. There were six little beds to one side of the room, and an old, striped curtain hung from sticks fastened into rods around the bed to allow privacy. A large table made of wood was directly in front of her, laden with fruits of all kinds—including some she had never seen before—and wooden bowls and cups. A huge fireplace, along with two big chairs, were at the far end of the room, a fire dancing merrily in the hearth, making Evie think that maybe, one day, the house-tree would burn down. Fire did not take kindly to wood after all. By the fire clothes were strung up above it on more sticks in a makeshift clothes line, little shorts and shirts alike warming in the fire's light. The whole other side of the room was sectioned off by another large striped curtain, making Evie glad; she had seen too much, and already her senses were overloaded.

And at the foot of the large wood table, opposite from where she was, sat a throne of bark and leaves that interweaved to create an elaborate design that left her breathless. And, in the center of that magnificent throne of wood and leaves, frowning darkly at her, was a blonde hair, blue eyed boy who Evie knew immediately, by the way the boys around her bowed, had to be Peter Pan. Great.

"Who is she?" Peter demanded, still keeping his sparkling blue eyes—eyes that sparkled in what Evie knew was mischief—trained on her intently.

"I don't know Peter, we just found her on the beach," Nibs stated, "Said she just woke up here, isn't that right?"

He nudged her with the butt of his wooden spear, and Evie blinked down at him, bewildered. What did he want her to say?

"I see…" Peter Pan said, and Evie's eyes snapped back to him as he stood from his throne, revealing his elaborate outfit of leaves which covered his body from his knees to his left shoulder. Immediately, at the sight of the outfit, her tongue got away from her.

"That outfit is so cute!" she gasped, beaming, "My brother wore one just like it a few years ago! He was a wild—"

She was silenced as Peter Pan, before she could even blink, pressed a knife to her throat, and her eyes widened in fear and shock when she looked down and noticed that Peter was floating.

So Jake had been right about the flying and the pixie dust and… She felt like hyperventilating.

"Silence, wrench!" Peter barked at her, and she found a scowl twisting at her lips as she stared into his blazing blue eyes, forgetting about the knife at her jugular.

"Excuse me, just who the hell do you think you are?!" she glared, "You can not just—"

"I said shut up lady!" Peter groused, eyes flashing as he pressed the blade harder into her neck, nearly puncturing the skin. She fell silent, but continued to glare.

"And I know exactly who I am, and you should to! I am Peter Pan, the greatest there ever was!"

She watched as Peter's scowl melted into a self satisfied smirk, and rolled her eyes. Great, he was an egotistical jerk!

The boys around them whooped in agreement as Peter smirked in her face, moving in so that he was entirely too close to her.

"And who are you, foul grown up?"

"Foul?! Grown up!?" she glared, "I am neither of those things, Peter Pan!" She spat his name out in such a way that he blinked for a moment, startled, before recovering with a sneer on his face.

"I beg to differ, Madame! You're clearly older!"

"Older, but not grown up," Evie pointed out, "I'm still seventeen; not a legal adult yet."

"It doesn't matter, you're old, and ugly too! You don't deserve to be here!"

"Oh, and I suppose you and your boys do?! You children are savages, aren't you?"

"We ain't savages!" Nibs protested, "You don't know anything, you—"

"Nibs!" Peter said sharply, not taking his eyes off Evie, "Shut up. She's mine to handle."

Evie gulped slightly, beginning to absently shift nervously beneath the blade. "W-What are you going to do with me?"

She hoped to good that the answer was not 'murder'.

Peter seemed to consider for a second, his bright eyes screwing up as he looked briefly away from her. When he looked back, however, she could tell by the dark, devilish look on his face that whatever he was planning was not, in any way, good for her.

"We'll give her to Hook," he finally stated, "There she'll be another grown up, and I'm sure Hook needs another wench!"

Evie felt chills go through her at the name 'Hook' and immediately had the foreboding sense that he was far from a nice guy. But first, she had to ask…

"Uh, who's Hook?" Her question broke through the wild cheers of the boys, and they all turned to look at her simultaneously, grinning wickedly.

"Should we tell her, Peter?" Slightly asked.

Peter paused for a moment, looking back to meet Evie's clear eyes intently. Evie could not help but shiver at the way he was staring at her. As though he were reading her…It was much more threatening than the blade at her throat, in her wayward opinion.

Slowly Peter grinned, and she felt that shiver from before trace all through her body until she was wide eyed and pale, staring at him. The name kept repeating in her head:

Hook…

"No boys, I don't think we should tell her…"

Evie's jaw opened in horror as all the boys cheered and chuckled. Or, all of them did, that is, except for one: Tootles.

Clearing his throat softly as everyone turned to look at him, he blushed deeply and looked down at the ground muttering under his breath, "I think we should keep her."

"Why?" the young round boy that Evie did not yet know the name to exclaimed in an incredulous voice, and Tootle's blush deepened.

"Well, um… I-I really want a…"

"A what?" Peter demanded, releasing Evie, who breathed in relief, to approach Tootles and grab him by the collar, shaking him slightly. "Why Tootles? Dammit, answer Curly, why?!"

"I-I…Well, I…" Tootles, overcome, began to cry a little, large fat droplets of water falling from his kind brown eyes. As Peter let him go in disgust Evie, seeing in the small young boy the brother she had left behind, raced over to his side frantically, and instantly had him in her arms, even as the other boys around her exclaimed and cursed loudly.

"What is that wrench doing!?"

"She's touching him!"

"No, stupid, she's holding him!"

"What do we do Peter?!"

Evie, too immersed and trying to get the boy now sobbing lightly in her arms to calm down, did not notice the way Peter's eyes softened on her, the way he put his knife back in the thin strap of leather he called a belt at his waist as she whispered soothing things in the young boy's ear.

"It's ok dearest, its ok. What's your name?" she asked kindly, and Tootles, from the safety of her arms, raised his head to offer her a small smile.

"T-Tootles…"

"Tootles!" she exclaimed, trying to sound surprised, "What an odd but cute name! Tootles, Tootles, Tootles…Whoever gave you such a name?"

"I did."

She looked up at Peter as he took a step towards them, and instinctively held the young boy in her arms tighter.

"Oh, you did?" she raised a curious brow at his satisfied smirk and nod. "How did you come up with that?"

"I don't know," Peter shrugged tanned shoulders, "I just did. Suits the twerp though."

"Twerp?!" Evie scowled, "Tootles is not a twerp, he's just tiny, like…like…"

She lowered her eyes as she thought about her younger brother, in a whole different world away from her, and had to bite her lip to keep from crying herself. After a moment she raised her eyes to meet Peter's vaguely curious ones, and offered a small, weak smile.

"My brother, Jake…He's small just like Tootles. In fact, Peter…I think you might have met him."

"Jake?" Peter repeated, furrowing his brow in thought. "Jake…"

"He's small for his age, with black hair and blue eyes, just like me."

"Hmmm." He studied her for a second, sweeping his eyes over her dirtied attire and face, drawn in a worried expression, before recognition suddenly dawned. "Jumping Jake!" He exclaimed with a laugh, and around him the Lost Boys all murmured excitedly as Tootle's wiggled in her arms.

"Jumping Jake?" she frowned, "Why do you call him that?"

"Cuz he's a wussy, afraid of nearly everything that moves!" Peter laughed, and immediately Evie jumped up to defend her brother.

"This island's new to him, so it's natural for him to be afraid, ok? He hasn't grown up here like you!"

Peter's eyes flashed for a moment, before he was approaching her again, a dark scowl abruptly on his face. She did not protest as he yanked her by her arm to her feet, and Tootle's slid off her lap to hurry around her and hide.

"How do you know how long I've been here?" Peter hissed at her, eyes narrowing on her, "Are you a spy for Hook?!"

"Hook?" Evie said, bewildered, "Why, I don't even know who this Hook fellow is! Why would I be—"

"Peter, don't listen to her!" Nibs spoke up, glowering at Evie. "She doesn't know how she got here, and neither do Hook or any of his men! She has to be from Hook, she has to be!"

The room was suddenly ablaze in cried of agreement as Evie, realizing her predicament, began to pale.

"B-But I'm not, I swear! Jake! Jake's my brother and—"

"You have no proof of that," Peter coldly cut her off, "You could have just seen him and—"

"Oh come on, you looked at me and saw Jake a few minutes ago! We look alike!"

"Anyone can have black hair and blue eyes," Peter replied calmly, "Admit it grown up, you have no proof. You have to be a spy for Hook!"

"But, no, I'm-"

"Tie her up!"

Evie, just like before, was quickly overwhelmed by the six boys, and soon found herself on her feet again, someone once more holding the rope around her hands, facing the holes once more. This time, Tootle's made no protest and went along with it.

"You don't expect me to climb that hole, do you?" she squeaked, staring up at it, "I'm hardly in the outfit!"

Luckily, that was not the case. Peter bypassed the holes to go to the wall in between all six of them, and by pulling a lever to the side a piece of the wall swung away to create a door that led once again into the wilderness.

Stumbling, Evie barely had time to adjust as she was led back into the light, blinking rapidly against the harsh sun as Peter led them along through the brush.

Somehow, between the stumbling and tripping, Evie managed to ask the all important question.

"Where are you taking me?"

No one paused, and no one responded for a long moment. They continued to march ahead as she was pulled along after them, straining uselessly against her bonds as her mind filled with dreadful thoughts. Were they going to kill her? Feed her to the crocodiles? She could barely guess…

It wasn't until they reached the beach and the soft sand sunk between her toes did they stop, and she lifted her eyes to look out at the glorious blue ocean, for a moment forgetting her predicament as she was swept away in the beauty of the scene. She was abruptly brought back to reality however when Peter flew—literally flew—in front of her, making her shriek slightly and step back, causing the boys to snicker at her expense.

She glared at Peter when he grabbed her chin and forced her to turn her head so that she was staring out across the water, to a large ship floating on it. Blinking in surprise, her eyes scanned the ship…And rested on the skull and cross bone flag flying on its rear mass. She felt herself pale. A pirate ship…

Peter turned her spinning head back to his with a big grin on his face, and in a voice heavy with glee announced her doom.

"There it is, the pirate ship you belong on!"

Evie could only just resist the urge to faint.

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Hello again, this story is back in motion! Sorry for those who wanted me to update sooner, I have been swamped with work over the last two months, and have only just now to update everything.

So, I hope you liked this chapter and please leave a review, because if I don't get a lot of feedback, how am I going to have the motivation to write more? So review, please!