Chapter Thirty-Two – They're Just My Tears
The shining sun overhead did nothing to help the mood at Kelly Shield's funeral. Wendy, Jon, Mikey, and Nana were there with Fred, Mandy, Ben, and Christine, all taking the day off for themselves to visit and pay their respects to the woman. Wendy couldn't help herself as she looked around and hoped to see Violet. Of course, she knew her friend couldn't simply walk out and show her face – she would be taken away by the police most likely.
After leaving flowers on the grave of the poor woman, Christine took them out to lunch. They sat together at a diner, silent as they awaited their meals. It was Christine who at last could take no more and decided to break the awkwardness.
"So, I have some friends that live next door…the Berris…have you heard of them?" she asked casually, cleaning off her glasses.
"Oh, yeah, you're neighbors with them, aren't you?" asked Fred, turning to face his science teacher.
"That's them," she nodded, slipping her glasses back onto her face. "Yesterday I got a call saying that they lost their baby." They all became silent and solemn again, wondering why on earth she would bring that up. "…however, they magically got a new kid, a baby called 'Gip'…" She turned her attention to Wendy, raising an eyebrow. "Anybody know where this baby came from?"
"Oh, that's right, you didn't know," Wendy smiled. "Peter decided to give Gip to the Berris…he's helped them form a family."
"Not only that, he's given them money, too, and a possible job in the future," Christine added, still incredulous at the message she'd gotten. When Jamie and Margaret had called her early that morning, they were ecstatic, telling her some strange boy left them a child. When she began to describe him and asked if his name was Peter, they told her everything, knowing that she wouldn't call them crazy.
"Wait, he did that?" Fred asked, stunned.
"That's awesome!" Ben grinned. "Jamie and Margaret are gonna be so happy now!"
"Oh yeah! I remember!" Mikey nodded. "Peter came last night and while Wendy put bandages on him, he to-MMH!" He wriggled and squirmed against Jon who covered his mouth and gave him a dirty look.
Mandy raised an eyebrow at them. "Bandages? What's going on?"
"Mikey!" Jon hissed.
"Jon, stop that!" Wendy scolded him. Motioning for the others to get closer, she whispered, "Peter confronted Shade last night."
"And?" Ben asked expectantly.
Biting her lip, she felt her stomach go in a tizzy as she painstakingly confessed, "…he was…injured."
"Injured?!" Mandy nearly screeched, making the others shush her. "What do you mean by that?!"
"It means Peter got a big boo-boo," Mikey explained proudly.
"Shade hurt him?" Ben asked, aghast. "How? What happened?"
"Is he ok?" Fred asked, stunned by the news.
"Shade ran his hand through Peter," Jon explained. "I think he probably hardened and sharpened it like a sword and stabbed Peter. Then Peter cut off his hand. Shade threw a burst of his black magic and Peter managed to fly away back to our house! We were lucky Dad was busy, otherwise we would've been in big trouble. There was blood everywhere, and Peter looked like he was in a lot of pain, and-OW!" He stopped, glaring at Ben who had kicked him. As he was about to ask why he did such a thing, the boy shifted his eyes to his sister. Jon titled his head just a smidge. There was Wendy, her face pale, her eyes downcast and filled to the brim with tears of anxiety. Jon immediately regretted having ever spoken of the event. "Sorry, Wendy," he said gently, bowing his head in shame.
Wendy kissed his cheek and tousled his hair, struggling to keep it together. "I'm fine," she lied, smiling as best as she could to the others. "I just…I wish I knew he was all right…he got up in the middle of the night and when we woke up this morning, he was gone." It hurt her that Peter hadn't stayed. She was frightened for him. What if something happened to him?
"Don't worry," Christine said softly, placing her hand over the girl's. "I'm sure he's fine…"
"He's snoozing right about now, actually."
The sound of the familiar voice made the group gasp as they realized they had visitors. Standing beside their table were Ruff and Violet, disguised in average clothing.
"Vi! Ruff!" Wendy cried, leaping from her seat and embracing her friends, especially Violet.
"Missed you, too," Violet laughed, beaming at her friend.
"VIIIII!" Mandy squealed, jumping up and attacking the girl.
Violet struggled to smile but it kept coming out as a grimace. Ruff bit back his laughter as he watched. Moving to the table, he patted Mikey and Nana before greeting the other boys.
"Violet, we're so glad to see you," Christine smiled, hugging the girl. "Sit down you two, lunch is on me."
"Thanks!" Ruff grinned, taking a seat.
"What're you doing here?" asked Fred, chuckling.
"We came to deliver a message to Wendy," Ruff replied.
"For me?" Wendy asked, surprised.
"From Peter," Violet grinned. She saw how Wendy's eyes lit up in relief and delayed no longer. "He wants you to know he's sorry he left last night but he had to get back to the island. He's safe in the hideout, resting. I'm sure he'll drop by once he's well again."
"Oh, thank you, Violet!" Wendy whispered, embracing the girl once more. Pulling back, she asked, "What about you? How are you doing?"
"I'm ok…me n' Ruff dropped by the cemetery just in time…" She stopped, choking on her words. She accepted Ruff's arm around her, snuggling into his embrace. "I got to say goodbye once everyone was gone."
"I'm so sorry…" Wendy began feeling her throat becoming dry once again.
"Don't be, Wendy," her friend smiled, the tears still in her eyes. "I'm all right…I watch out for the boys with Ruff and Peter while we wait for your next visit. Oh! I forgot to mention…" Sitting up proudly, she announced, "I've been proclaimed the very first Lost Girl!"
Mikey immediately began cheering and Nana wagged her tail in approval. Jon and Ben clapped their hands and Christine laughed while Fred and Mandy exchanged confused looks before offering their congratulations. Wendy laughed and embraced her once more, smiling at the couple.
"I'm so happy for you," she said.
"Hey, aren't you guys supposed to be in school now?" Violet asked, cocking her head to one side. "It's only Tuesday."
"We've taken the day off to go to the funeral," Christine explained. "I've decided I'd go visit the Berris afterwards, too."
"Hey, why doncha come to Never-Neverland?" Ruff suggested. "You're not going back to school, right? Play hooky for once…! No pun intended, I swear," he said to Christine as she gave a smirk. "Seriously, guys, come on over, no one's around during daylight hours! The park belongs to us!"
"I'd love to, but I promised I'd take Mandy out," Fred apologized as Mandy rested her head upon his shoulder.
"Can we go?" Ben and Mikey asked, looking to Christine and Wendy.
Pursing her lips, Christine tapped her cheek in thought. The notion of seeing James and surprising him would be nice… "Screw the rules. After I check on Jamie and Margie, we're going," Christine declared.
"Yes!" Ben grinned, delighted.
"Well, if we're going in a group, I suppose it'll be all right," Wendy giggled. "I just need to stop at home and change into something more appropriate."
"Y'know what? Good idea," the woman nodded. "We'll take, what, fifteen minutes max to change and all that? Sounds like a plan."
~NEVER-NEVERLAND~
The Darling children and Nana arrived at home with Violet and Ruff nearly an hour after they encountered one another in the diner. Heading upstairs, Ruff volunteered to help the boys change while Violet helped Wendy. Nana entered the girl's room shortly afterwards, panting happily.
"I'm excited, too, Nana," Wendy smiled, changing from her black dress into a beige, dress that flowed around her knees with fluttering lace sleeves.
"Really? I couldn't tell," Violet laughed, grabbing a set of short, tan boots and handing them to Wendy. "You're gonna knock Peter's socks off when he sees you…if he wears socks, that is."
"Oh, I don't want to wake him," the British female shook her head. "I just want to see if he's all right…maybe I can make some soup and leave it for the boys…" Raising her head, her brows furrowed at Violet when the other girl laughed at her. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, Wendy, you're too cute!" Violet giggled, clutching her stomach. "No wonder they picked you to be their mother! You're always worrying about them." Grabbing a brush, she began to run the bristles through Wendy's midnight locks. "You know…Ruff heard from Tink that Hook helped Peter last night."
"Helped? With what?" Wendy asked, puzzled.
"Well…the pirates kinda shot Peter down…but it wasn't because they were fighting! It was more like an accident."
"They shot him?!" Wendy gasped, horrified.
"Well, not with a bullet, just a cannonball," she corrected her friend, making Wendy's eyes go huge in shock. "They missed and Peter fell. Hook took him into his cabin and watched him all throughout the night. Blue Falls gave him some sort of fairy magic drink or something so he's resting now."
Heaving a weary sigh, Wendy grabbed the acorn button that dangled from her chain and whispered, "What am I going to do with you, Peter Pan?"
The sound of a door opening below made them freeze, their eyes glued to the bedroom door. Nana whined, covering her face. They listened, straining their ears, when they heard a phone go off. Mr. Darling's voice started talking at once, going off about some arrangement that he was currently working on.
"Oh, dear!" Wendy grimaced, moaning as she realized their father would be seeing them.
"I know, we can go through the window!" Violet suggested.
As if he could read their minds, Ruff appeared outside Wendy's window and tapped on the glass, Mikey and Jon both clinging to him.
"Awesome!" Violet grinned. "Let's get Nana out and then we can fly you down."
"Oh, no!" Wendy gasped. "I forgot! I left the keys downstairs with my purse! I wanted to buy some treats for the boys before we went to the island."
"Can you sneak past him?" Violet asked.
"I'll try," she said. "I'll run back upstairs if I can, or I'll sneak out through the front door." Stepping out of her room, she slipped her boots off and carried them down with her. Her father was in the kitchen when she arrived downstairs, making her bite her lip in anxiety. Taking a deep breath, she cautiously, peeked around to see her father standing in front of the refrigerator, looking for a bite to eat. Of all days, why did he have to come home now?! Bracing herself, she tiptoed into the living room and painstakingly grabbed her purse, smiling when she checked and saw her keys in the bag as well.
"Wendy?"
She froze, frightened, as she realized she'd been caught. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her father staring at her with his phone wedged between his ear and shoulder. His hands were filled with papers and a fork to eat some of the leftovers she'd put away.
"I'll call you back, Henry," he said, hanging up and setting the phone down. "Wendy, I thought you were in school."
"Just breathe," she told herself, inhaling through her nose. "Time to get your actress on." "I told you yesterday, Dad, Kelly Shield's funeral was today. I just got back and wanted to change."
"Whatever for?" he asked, chewing on his lunch as he looked at the paperwork.
"My science teacher, Ms. Seaworth, offered to take us out to lunch and on a little outing," Wendy said smoothly, slipping her bag strap over her shoulder.
"I don't have to pay her back, do I?" he asked, disinterested.
Scowling, she slipped her boots on. "No, Dad, though that would be nice."
"Hmm…why were you sneaking about like a cat burglar, anyway?" he asked, glancing up at her for a moment.
"I know how you don't like to be disturbed during a call, I thought I'd try to be as quiet as possible," she responded. "Speaking of which, what are you doing at home so early?"
"I forgot to bring lunch, so I thought I'd drop by and have a bite before going back. I had a bit of extra time today, so I figured, 'why not?'"
"I'd like to give you a few reasons why," she thought sourly.
"Where's this teacher of yours taking you anyway?" he asked.
"Oh, um…well, my friends and I thought we'd go to Never-Neverland and-"
"Hold on a moment, what?" he asked, setting down his work and raising an eyebrow at her. "You're going to that theme park at this hour?"
"Why not?" she asked, frowning.
"Wendy, there are some coworkers of mine that say that place brings in all sorts of trouble and hoodlums," he said curtly, sipping his coffee. "Not to mention, it doesn't do much with profits. It's just some Disneyland-wanna-be place that charges too much for half-rate rides and characters you can meet."
"But it isn't!" she protested.
"Listen Wendy, if you keep going there, it'll make me look bad, do you understand?" he asked, giving her a look which she understood meant "that's final." But today, she would have none of it.
"No, I don't," she snapped, startling him. "Let me see if I understand this – you're forbidding us to go because it's not worth your time or money, and you'll look back if we like it? Dad, you've never even been to the park!"
"Listen here, young lady," he began, rising to his feet only to step back when Wendy stomped over and pointed a finger at him.
"NO! You listen!" she all but shouted, furious with his behavior. "You come and go as you please, you tell us what to do and what not to do! Do you help Jon with his homework? Do you play with Mikey anymore? Do you pat Nana on the head when you notice she did more than what's expected? Do you come home and give us all a hug and a kiss before bedtime? No, you don't. All you can think about is your stupid job and how you can make things better for yourself, and we hate it! You're never around and you act like you don't love us! Sometimes I even start to wonder if you care at all! We love Never-Neverland, and the friends we've made. It's a part of our lives, and you are not going to stop us-!"
"Young lady, that's enough out of you!" he roared.
"I'M NOT EVEN FINISHED WITH YOU!" she screamed, making him gawk at her. "You never acted like before! Mom would be horrified! Mom would be just as disappointed as I am! If Mom was here, she'd-!"
A sharp "smack!" filled the air, the words stopping.
Wendy's eyes were huge, the sharp sting of her father's hand still burning and fresh on her cheek. Her eyes filled with hot tears, a bitter taste filling her dry mouth.
George Darling stared at his daughter, and then his hand, unable to believe what he'd done. Scrambling, he grabbed his briefcase, paperwork, and cell phone before rushing out of the house, slamming the door and leaving his daughter standing alone in dreadful silence.
Wendy could hold it back no longer, sinking to her knees and letting her frustration and hurt come out through heavy sobs and dripping tears. Covering her face, she could sense someone was behind her.
"Wendy?" Mikey asked.
Lifting her head, she saw her brothers standing behind her, her friends hovering close by.
"You ok?" Ruff asked, sitting down beside her.
"I'll bet you heard everything," she sniffled, wiping her tears off of her cheeks.
"Sort of," Violet admitted sheepishly. "Sorry, Wendy. If I had known how much trouble this would cause…"
"No," Wendy shook her head. "It's my own fault for not shutting my mouth, or at least lying and making up a story. I supposed to be good at that right?"
"Still…you stood up to Dad," Jon said, embracing his sister. Nana whined as she joined the group, licking Wendy's sore cheek.
The girl smiled and kissed her brothers and Nana. "Let's go. I just want to get out of this house."