Forever In Neverland
Chapter Five
--
The lost children...
--
It was quickly becoming obvious that Tinker Bell would only reveal things to me when she was good and ready. I saw no reason not to trust her judgment but I'd always been a bit of a curious girl and seeing something like that ship sailing into the sky had me itching to know more. Then again, so did everything else in this new and exciting world...
--
“I have a present for you!” Tinker Bell said excitedly, obviously wanting to change the subject.
“A present?” The fairy girl nodded happily and flew to the side of the pool to quickly dress herself. Back in her frill cut green dress she snatched up my soaking wet clothes, impressing me once more with surprising strength.
“Just need to take care of these first!” she chirped. My eyes went wide as she promptly flew over and tossed them off the cliff.
“The hell are you doing?!” I shouted, frantically exiting the pool and skirting up to the cliff face. I was just in time to see them hit the surf below and vanish beneath the froth. I spun around and fixed the fairy in a full on glare with my hands on my hips and my foot tapping away impatiently to complete the image.
“Oh relax, you dummy, I told you I had a present, didn't I?”
“Being naked in a strange place wasn't what I had in mind!” I shouted irritably. She rolled her eyes and flew off behind one of the larger rocks that littered the area, returning with what looked to be an enormous folded leaf. “What's this?”
“Opening it might be a good way to find out... maybe I did bump your head a little too hard...”
“Oh shut up,” I grumbled, swatting at her with a laugh. I sat down on the stones cross legged and found myself more excited than I would have expected given the situation; it'd been years since I'd been given a present. I undid the tiny bow, which looked to have been tied with some type of stringy vine, causing the leaf to unfold in my lap. “Oh, Tink... they're beautiful!” I gasped, eyes wandering over the silky green tunic with matching skirt and boots, all with the same zig-zag frill cut as Tinker Bell's dress.
“I made them for you last night,” she said shyly, landing on the ground in front of me and idly nudging a pebble back and forth with her foot. “Try it on and see if it fits so I know if I need to make any adjustments.” Nearly squealing with joy, I quickly pulled on the outfit and found it incredibly soft and warm to the touch. I hopped up and down a few times and did a quick spin to test the measurements, finding all pieces fit me like a glove.
“Oh it's perfect, Tink! And this material is just wonderful, it feels like silk but it's warm like wool.” She floated up in front of me and clasped her hands together.
“I wove some Fairy Dust into the threads so it'll never stain or fade and it'll even protect you somewhat from minor injuries. I was going to make you one like mine but seeing how you were dressed I figured you might prefer a two piece. So... do you like it?” she asked nervously. I felt myself on the verge of tears from the sweet gesture.
“It's the most wonderful thing anyone's ever given me...” Unsure of how trying to kiss her cheek would work out, I simply leaned forward and nuzzled her with my own. “Thank you so much...” I whispered before pulling away, a blush mirroring her own on my cheeks.
“It really suits you, Petra. You can talk to fairies, you can interact with Fairy Dust, and you can even fly like fairies do... it's only fitting that you dress like one too.” It was then that a rather embarrassing thought struck me.
“I'd forgotten about the flying...” She blinked a few times.
“Something wrong?” I rubbed at the back of my neck uncomfortably.
“Can't help but notice you didn't give me any underwear... if I start flying anybody could just...”
“Under... what?” she asked curiously. I looked at her skeptically.
“You know, underwear, panties, skivvies, whatever you want to call them?” She showed no signs of understanding. Cocking one eyebrow, I looked the fairy up and down to try and figure if she was joking with me or not. Finding nothing from her deadpan expression I shrugged and reached out to lift up the hem of her dress.
“Pervert!” she shrieked, slapping me hard enough to send me reeling backwards. My heel caught on a rock and I found myself tipping back over the rim of the pool. I shut my eyes tight and braced myself for the blast of scalding water but after several seconds passed and no surge of heat came I nervously felt around with the tip of my boot and found no ground beneath it, I was flying. “Boo!” Tinker Bell shouted suddenly, nudging me hard on the shoulder. “Hey! You didn't fall! Quick, open your eyes and see if you can hold it!” I slowly opened one eye and then the other, finding myself drifting gently backwards over the surface of the water.
“It... it feels so easy all of a sudden! My happy thought is right there but it's kind of in the back of my mind like you told me it should be.” Concentrating on the air around me, I lifted myself upright and drifted easily over to the edge of the pool.
“Do you think it's the clothes? Maybe you just needed a little extra Fairy Dust or something?” she suggested. Something was definitely different but I wasn't sure if it was the clothes or not. They did make me feel lighter which was a distraction that had bothered me before but I felt it was somehow deeper than that. Chewing my lip as I thought, I began to pace around the area, barely taking notice whether I was on solid ground or stepping through the air over the water. Suddenly it hit me and I couldn't help but smile. “Petra?”
“It's my happy thought... it's different.”
“What do you mean, different?” I closed my eyes and brought the image up from the depths of my mind, instantly filling me with warmth and a seemingly endless surge of joy. An image of Wendy and me flying hand in hand... with a golden fairy circling around us.
--
Unfortunately, being able to fly and being able to fly well were two different things entirely. My experimentation on the way to wherever Tinker Bell was taking me showed me that I still had a lot of practice before I could make any of those wonderful dreams come true...
--
“Well I'm out of thread so you'll just have to learn to cross your legs when you lift off.”
“Wouldn't have to if someone hadn't thrown my clothes off a cliff!”
“Fine, I admit I got a little excited but there's nothing to be done about that now so let's deal with it later, okay?”
“Sure... but I still think there's more of a pervert in you than you...” I paused upon seeing Tinker Bell had stopped and was looking upwards at a massive wall of trees.
“We're going to fly from here, it's important that you make the right kind of entrance.” I looked at the size of the trees in front of us and swallowed hard, the idea of flying over them not sitting well with me in the least.
“What do you mean? What is this place?” Tinker Bell's eyes fell and she was quiet for some time before turning to look at me.
“This is where the lost ones live, we need to enter properly so you're not attacked.”
“Wow, Tink, thanks for putting me at ease. I'm not worried at all now,” I muttered, casting nervous glances at every shadow.
“Oh relax, you wimp,” she said with a grin. “If it'll make you feel better I'll hold your hand.” I cast a glare at the smug little fairy and gently lifted off the ground.
“Fine, but if I fall and die I'm gonna come back and haunt you!”
“No...” she said sadly as she flew up next to me, “you wouldn't...” Before I could question what she'd meant we cleared the top of the trees. I found myself wobbling slightly in the air as my view expanded beyond the sheet of green pine. My eyes took in what looked to be a large cluster of elaborate, and often impractical, tree houses connected by bridges and little 'islands' of flooring placed on the larger branches. “I helped them build it the best I could, it wasn't easy what with not being able to speak to them and all,” she said as we landed in a large central area where all the paths converged.
“Tink... you mean this is...” The question went unasked as the village's residents took notice of our entrance and stormed from their houses. Within seconds I had about two dozen odds and ends weapons being pointed at me.
“This is where the others I've brought to Neverland live...” she said sadly before proceeding to knock away several of the sticks and pans that were drawn on me.
“You said I was the oldest you've ever brought... but I wasn't expecting this...” I said, taking in the crowd of children surrounding us, the oldest among them couldn't have been more than ten years old with some of the younger ones looking to be around five. “They're all little kids...”
“Little kids that'll lay you flat if you so much as move, Pirate!” a girl, the oldest from the looks of it, shouted at me.
“Pirate?” I asked, trying not to giggle at her false bravado. The girl's knees were practically knocking together.
“All grown-ups are Pirates, everyone knows that!” she shot back.
“But she don't look like a Pirate... and I never heard of no Pirate that could fly off a ship,” a boy standing next to her muttered.
“And she came with the pixie, too!” another one shouted. Again I had to bite back laughter as Tinker Bell let out an aggravated groan, they must have been calling her that the whole time.
“Tell them that the fairy brought you over a few days ago, and just know that if you so much as hint at the word pixie you'll be sleeping outside for a month!” Grinning, I turned and raised up my hands to the assembled crowed.
“I think we got off to a bad start. My name is Petra Pan, I was brought here by the pix...” Tinker Bell shrieked and dove down to bite my ear as hard as she could, “...I mean fairy!” I yelped, tugging her off and showing her to the children. “That's what they're called, fairies, and they really, really don't like to be called pixies as you've just seen!” I said with a grin, several of the younger ones giggled.
“No wonder she was always knockin' me on the head!” someone from the back of the group shouted, producing even more laughter. I cast the fairy an accusing look.
“Oh don't even start! You don't know how insulting that is to a fairy!” she huffed.
“How do you know all this?” the first girl asked, seemingly even more worried now that she was losing some favor in the crowd.
“She told me herself. Her name's Tinker Bell, by the way.”
“No way, nobody can talk to her! You're lying!” Tinker Bell wriggled free of my grasp and flew up to land on my shoulder.
“Tell her that her name's Sarah, and she still cries when she skins her knees if she's alone.” With a laugh I relayed the message, the girl's eyes going wide at the words which sent another wave of giggles throughout the rest of them. After a moment the girl lowered her stick and looked me up and down.
“You dress like her too... you some kinda fairy girl or something?” she asked. I remembered what Tinker Bell had said back at the hot springs and let myself lift off the ground a few feet, making sure to keep my legs tightly crossed.
“I guess you can say that.” A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd, growing more excited by the moment. Several of the children began tugging on Sarah's skirt and whispering to her until eventually she stepped forward and motioned for everyone to settle.
“Um... everyone wants to know if... if you wouldn't be bothered... if you would stay and have dinner with us, fairy girl?” I held back a giggle to avoid insulting the effort she'd put in and landed so I could give a short bow.
“I'd love to.”
--
After agreeing to eat with them I was bustled about the little tree house village on an impromptu tour. I discovered that despite the odd appearance and arrangement of the little houses, the village was remarkably well built and sturdy. Furthermore, the trees provided a sort of natural barrier around the place making it practically invisible from all angles but straight above, Even the ladder they used to come and go was hidden beneath the ivy that grew around the base of the trees. I found this information to be both astounding and disconcerting. I knew that Tinker Bell must have made it like this for a reason. What I didn't know is what they needed to be hidden from...
--
“Where are you off to, Tink?” I asked as she lifted of my shoulder and made for the trees.
“I'm just going to go pick us some fruit.”
“What do you mean? Aren't we going to eat what they're making?”
“Trust me, you'll want it. Just pretend until I get back!” she called out as flitted away.
“What the hell are you...” I stopped, noticing she was already out of earshot.
“Come on fairy girl, it's almost ready!” a little boy said, grabbing at my hand and pulling me eagerly toward a side of the little village where a long table was set up. Already there were dozens of covered dishes waiting on the table with several more being added as I was seated at one end of the table with Sarah at my right, still on her feet as others scrambled for a place to sit.
“Is everybody here?!” she shouted over the noisy mass, receiving a resounding 'Yes!' in response. “Then lets eat!” The tray covers were all removed in a single motion to reveal steaming platters of... absolutely nothing. Seemingly unaware that there was nothing to be had, the children all began to dish their plates with gusto, gabbing away as if this was the most natural thing in the world. Suddenly remembering what Tinker Bell had told me, I reached out and grabbed an imaginary piece of food and pretended to take a bite. The boy seated opposite of Sarah leaned over and nudged my arm.
“Ish goodsh, righ?” he slurred over a mouthful of pretend food. I nodded enthusiastically until he went back to his own plate and sighed.
“You can't see it, can you?” Sarah asked quietly, I turned to see her set down what looked to be a sandwich from how her hands were held so she could look at me fully. “It's hard for me too sometimes... I'm a fair bit older than the others.”
“What's hard for you?” I whispered back. She looked at me confusedly for a moment before smiling.
“To imagine of course,” she said before picking up her make believe sandwich and taking another bite.
“Heads up!” Tinker Bell's voice sounded just seconds before a large sack of fruit was dropped onto my plate. “Enjoying the meal?” she asked with a giggle as she hovered in front of me.
“I... I don't understand, Tink. What's going on here?” I whispered, noticing Sarah listening in on my half of the conversation. The fairy snatched up one of the grape sized berries which I took to be her favorite and settled back against the crook of my elbow.
“It's a lot like how happy thoughts work if you think about it. In Neverland the mind has a lot more power than it does in the other world and imagination is a big part of how the mind works.” She looked out over the assembled children, all happily chatting and eating away, and smiled. “Ask yourself... who has more imagination than a child?”
“So it's real because they believe it's real?” I asked in amazement.
“To them it is, and that's all that matters...”
--
The hours following the meal were an interesting lot. Most of the time was spent meeting the children while Tink told me what she knew of them. It was a strange and comforting experience all at the same time. After the days spent alone with Tink it had almost felt like we were the only people in the world.
As night was fast approaching, I helped Sarah shuffle the little ones off to bed until eventually, the three of us were alone. The girl's tough facade faded away completely when I relayed a message from Tink about how proud she was of how the girl had taken care of the younger children. It was a tender moment I wouldn't soon forget...
--
“Petra... I need to ask you something important...” Tink murmured into my ear. I slowed to a stop and held out my hand for her to land on. “I was wondering if... if you wouldn't mind...” I smiled.
“Of course I'll help you take care of them, Tink.”
“Really?!” she squeaked, flying forward into my chest in a makeshift tackle hug, pushing me back several feet in the air.
“I can tell that Sarah's stretched pretty thin and it must have been so frustrating for you not being able to help as much as you'd want. Honestly, I'd be happy to.”
“You're the best, Petra! I knew I could count on you!” she shouted, flying up to kiss me on the cheek before settling on my shoulder as I lifted off again, flying slowly and low to the ground.
“I'm curious though... why aren't we staying there with them like Sarah offered?”
“I think it'd be best if they didn't come to depend on us too much, they've got a pretty good balance going and I don't want things to fall apart.” I nodded at her reasoning, letting the sound of the wind settle over us for a long while before speaking.
“You'll tell me things when you think I'm ready, won't you?” She didn't answer for so long that I thought she might have fallen asleep.
“I'm sorry if it seems like I'm keeping secrets... I really am. It's for the best though, believe me,” she murmured.
“I do believe you, Tink, I just need to know that I won't be kept in the dark forever. That's just how I am.”
“I promise Petra, I'll tell you anything and everything if I think you're ready to know about it.”
“That's all I ask.” We settled into another easy silence that lasted until our apartment came into view.
“Um... Petra?” she questioned nervously as she floated out in front of me.
“Yeah, Tink?”
“Do... do you think I can sleep with you again?” I couldn't help but chuckle at the fairy's shyness.
“Am I really that comfortable?” She blushed and turned away.
“You're really warm... and your heartbeat kind of lulls me to sleep. My teddy bear is nowhere near as comfortable...” I smiled and nuzzled her with my cheek.
“Consider it your new bed... just don't thrash in your sleep, you might kick something sensitive.” It took her a moment to catch on but the look on her face when she did was priceless.
“You're such a pervert!”
--
I lay awake for several hours that night, and not for the reasons I would have expected. Something was wrong, I could feel it. It was like this all encompassing sense of dread that I just couldn't relieve myself of and I was certain it was the dreams causing it because everything else was going so wonderfully. I couldn't explain how or why but I just knew Wendy and I were connected somehow and the dreams were the key to it all... for better or worse. The idea that Wendy really was being threatened by some shadowy figure was horrible, but even more so was the idea that I was helpless to do anything about it...