Never Never

Peter watched Rei carefully, taking in the wonder and amazement on her face as the island he called home came into view. He started rising higher above the ocean taking her hand in his again and pulling her up with him. She didn’t seem bothered at all by the contact, but he figured she was to busy taking everything in to really notice anyway. He pulled her above the clouds to stay out of sight of anyone that may be scanning the skies for him, and soon they were well away from the ocean and flying closer to the hideout he lived in.

“It’s so beautiful here…” He heard her say as he finally allowed them to dip towards the tree line.

“Glad you think so. The boys will be happy to see a new face around here.” He replied, smiling a little. He couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they saw that he brought Rei along with him. He had told them of her many times, but was never able to recreate her songs for them, for he could never remember the words by the time he got back from visiting her balcony. It wouldn’t have mattered if he remembered them anyway, he could not recreate her voice or her emotion.

“Does anyone else live here?” Rei asked, and he nodded.

“Pirates, Indians, Mermaids, Fairies, and of course me and the lost boys. And now you!” He listed and, noticing her look of shock, he laughed a little. “You’ve met a boy who flies and you’re still shocked?” He asked, laughing harder when she simply stuck her tongue out at him in reply. They drifted downward steadily and he kept his eyes peeled for any threats as they landed near where he and the lost boys lived.

The tree was massive, even compared to those around them now, and it had been the perfect choice for making their home. It was well hidden underground, deep in the earth where the roots made their own home, but they were always careful when entering knowing that if anyone were to see them than they were surely done for.

“Where are we going?” Rei asked as soon as their feet hit the spongy forest ground.

“To the hide out of course.” He said, releasing her hand and pulling the knife from the sheath he kept it in at his side. He would take no chances. If any pirates were about he couldn’t risk them getting word back to their captain.

“Of course.” The girl said, following along behind him, but letting her eyes take in the beautiful forest around them.

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She couldn’t believe that any of this was really happening to her. Never Land was a place one could only dream of, filled with things she had only read about in books. Among those things was the boy she was currently following through the dense forest. She took the time to study him better now in the early morning light. She had been in such a hurry to leave her home that she hadn’t really looked at him properly in her room.

He was definitely taller than her with a wiry build that was perfect for flying. She could see the slight play of muscles under his tanned skin as he moved and she wondered once again just how old he was, and if he even knew. His hair was blond and wind tousled and she figured that’s how it always looked, but just like his strange clothing it seemed to suit him. As he turned his head to keep looking around them the sun that filtered through the leaves lit up his eyes, which were a color blue that rivaled the sky above them.

Rei had already noticed that he was a good looking boy, but it was even clearer now that he was in his own element. He looked wild and utterly boyish, and that appealed to her in some unexplored part of her mind. She couldn’t help but wonder now just why he had a knife out, so she decided to ask.

“Peter, what are you doing?” She asked, watching him carefully. He didn’t look at her as he spoke.

“I have to make sure no one is following us, it’s a hideout for a reason. If the pirates figure out where we live they’d kill us all.” He said bluntly and her eyes widened.

“Why would they kill you?” She asked quickly and she watched a smile flit across his lips.

“Because I cut off their captain’s right hand and fed it to a crocodile. But other than that…They’re grown ups and they hate us for still being young I guess.” Once again Rei was surprised at his honesty, probably more so than the fact he cut off someone’s hand and fed it to a crocodile. His caution made sense now though, so she didn’t question him further as they came upon a towering tree. Peter seemed satisfied that no one else was about and put up his knife before facing her.

“Where to now?” Rei asked, smiling at the boy before her and adjusting the strap of her duffel bag.

“We’re here.” He said, smile widening at the look of confusion that crossed her face. He motioned for her to follow as he turned his back to her and headed straight toward the large tree. Her curiosity peeked and she followed quickly, watching as he reached up and pulled on a small log hanging from a thick vine. She watched, amazed as part of the trunk was pulled away, revealing an opening she never would have guessed to be there.

Once it was open Peter released the log and performed a very exaggerated, low, sweeping bow, entreating her to enter first as if to be a gentlemen. She just laughed and stepped in, looking about in the dark entryway for any sign of which way she needed to go. All she heard was a low chuckle behind her as she took another step forward before she suddenly found herself sliding. She screamed before she could stop herself and when she landed on firm, mossy ground she let out a sigh of relief.

Her relief was wiped out quickly as six wicked looking blades were suddenly being pointed at her face. She stopped breathing then, raising her eyes from the blades to see six very dirty young boys standing before her. She opened her mouth to tell them that Peter had brought her with him, but he beat her to the punch, landing silently behind the 6 younger boys with an impish smile on his face.

“I have returned!” He shouted, making every boy practically jump out of their skin. Swords clattered to the ground as they whipped around to face him and she got to her feet now, clutching her duffel bag for dear life. “I have brought the girl I told you all about, the singer girl. Her name is Rei.” He explained and she watched the boys turn back to her and before she could ask anything the air was filled with rushed apologies and even faster introductions.

“So sorry to have scared you miss! Nibbs is the name!” A boy with a band around his head shouted, shoving a smaller boy to the side. He, in turn, was shoved away as well.

“I’m Slightly! Ever so glad to finally meet you!” This boy was just as dirt caked as the rest with short cropped dark brown hair and a pair of wide brown eyes to match. The smallest of the bunch, twin boys, wormed their way to stand in front of her next, reciting together,

“Zeffy” “Tusk” They said, and she almost laughed, but held it in as they spoke again. “Good to meet you!” She was amazed at how they spoke in perfect unison with one another.

“I’m Curly.” And it was no wonder he was called that, with a mop of curly blond hair badly hidden under an old knit cap. A somewhat chubby boy stepped forward next, smiling shyly at her.

“My name’s Tootles.” He said, speaking more quietly than the other boys had.

“Nice to meet you boys.” Rei said, smiling as she was finally able to get a word in edge wise. They all looked so young, and she knew she would have to ask Peter how in the world they got there at some point. It wasn’t long before the boys rushed off to gather food and other things and Rei was left alone with Peter in the strange underground hideout.

“They won’t be gone long, they’ll want to fix up a bed here for you quickly so they can hear you sing.” Peter said as he walked towards her, laughter in his sparkling blue eyes. Rei let her own eyes wander for a moment and she spotted the small fairy that Peter had called ‘Tink’ lounging in a tiny, fairy sized hammock near a pallet stacked with thick furs. There were other pallets of course, hidden amongst the thick roots of the tree. Each pallet was made up with different things to make them comfortable to sleep on, and she wondered briefly what they would bring back for her, as she hadn’t thought to bring a blanket along with her.

The whole room was lit with several white candles, casting deep shadows into the roots of the tree. She couldn’t believe that children had made something so extraordinary, but here she was, standing in the middle of it all, trying to take it in as quickly as she could. Swords and knives of every length littered the place, as well as shining gold coins, and a long table took up one part of the large area, strewn with candles and wooden carvings of random little things.

“Do you like it?” Peter’s voice sounded a lot closer than it had been before and it made her jump slightly as she spun to face him. He just smiled and lifted her duffel bag off of her shoulder and stepped away from her to set it down on what she assumed was his bed.

“It’s wonderful.” She said honestly, having expected hammocks strung up between trees and other such things. “About the boys though, how did they get here?”

“Children who fall out of their prams when the nurse is not looking! Those who aren’t claimed in seven days are sent to the Never Land!” He explained, that impish smile in place.

“How come there are no girls?” Rei asked next.

“Girls are far too clever to fall out of their prams.” Peter replied, tilting his head down slightly and looking at her through sinfully thick lashes. She couldn’t fight back the giggle that bubbled up inside her and shook her head at him. If he was trying to flirt with her, he was doing an oddly good job of it that was for sure.

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He watched her every move as she took in the whole of their hideout, watching her bright green eyes light up in wonder and excitement. The clothes she wore were strange to him since he didn’t visit the world very often. Knee high black boots adorned her feet with a pair of tight black pants tucked into them. It reminded him of what some pirates wore, but he liked the way it looked on her. A forest green tank top hugged her upper body, showing off pale white skin spattered with freckles, and her hair was a deep, jet black, cascading down her back in gentle waves that ended at her hips.

He wasn’t too familiar with girls, but he found her pretty enough despite the bruise across her face. He just hoped she would choose to stay in Never Land with him and the Lost Boys, that way he wouldn’t have to worry about her when he was away. Her curiosity seemed insatiable and she asked questions about everything. The Pirates, the mermaids, and anything else she could think of until the boys returned from their gathering.

Peter didn’t have to say a word to any of them before they set about making up a bed for Rei to sleep on. After a while he grew tired of simply watching them and decided to take part in it.

“You can go ahead and just sit on my bed for now, this might take a little while.” He said to her, now noticing how tired she looked. He remembered then that it had been rather late at night when he met her in the park. Rei gave him a wide yawn and a nod in response and shed her boots and socks, tossing them into her bag before setting it on the floor. He tore his eyes away from her now and set about helping the boys. They chatted along happily as they all worked, asking him questions about Rei and why he had asked her to come back with him.

“Her mother wants her to grow up, and we can’t have that.” He replied easily, laughing at the scathing remarks they came up with about Rei’s mom.

“Why is she bruised?” Tootles asked, causing yet another frown to appear on his face.

“Her mother struck her.” He spat out as they started spreading out the springy moss they had gotten for padding.

“I thought mothers were meant to love their children.” Slightly whispered, making Peter scoff.

“All parents care about is what their kids will be when they grow up.” He grumbled, shaking his head. It was why he had run away. He had heard his parents talking one night of what he was to be when he became a man. So he ran away and met Tink, who taught him to fly and brought him to Never Land, where he had been ever since. He had lost track of just how long he had been there, but it didn’t matter.

“Uhm, Peter?” Curly said, snapping him out of his own walk down memory lane. He looked at the boy and watched as he pointed in the direction of his bed. He glanced that way and saw the girl in question fast asleep, curled up in the thick furs he used. He shook his head a bit and smiled at the sight.

“Should we move her?” Curly asked then.

“Hands.” Every single boy, including himself, held out their hands, each pair even filthier than the pair before.

“They're a bit dirty…” Slightly said and he nodded.

“Let's leave her be. She’ll be fine there for now.” He said and they all nodded. “I’ll be back in a while, I need to speak with the mermaids. Keep an eye on Rei.” They all nodded vigorously, and that was all he needed. He knew they would keep her safe.

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Rei woke slowly, groaning a little as she fought to stay asleep for just a while longer. She couldn’t bear the thought of facing her mother right now, not after the fight they’d had. She couldn’t quite recall what it had been about at the moment, and she didn't want to. She could hear shuffling close by, causing a frown to crease her brow as she gave in and opened her eyes.

She blinked slowly to clear her sleep blurred vision before taking in her surroundings. She couldn’t believe it, it wasn’t a dream! She was in Never Land, away from her mother and every single worry she’d ever had. Happiness welled up inside her and her face split into a wide smile. She remembered then why she had surrendered to waking up in the first place as the rustling sounded again.

Rei turned her head and was alarmed, not to mention a bit embarrassed, to find Peter fast asleep beside her. She bolted up, smacking her head into a low slung root and groaned loudly this time, clutching her head and shutting her eyes tightly.

“Rei?” Peter’s voice, thick with sleep, called and she opened her eyes slowly as she heard him moving about. As her eyes opened for the second time she was faced with a set of sky blue ones. “Are you okay?” He asked, perfectly innocent and completely concerned.

“Uhm, yes. Just a little surprised is all. Did I fall asleep on your bed?” She asked, feeling her face heat up as he stared at her.

“Yeah. We didn’t want to move you.” She couldn’t help but smile at that as he finally moved back a bit a let out a wide yawn.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how tired I was. You could have moved me though, I wouldn’t have even noticed.” She replied, pulling her legs in to sit Indian style. The throbbing in her head was tolerable now, so she just ignored it in favor of talking with Peter.

“Our hands were too dirty anyways.” He said with a shrug, “And I had to speak with the mermaids about the pirates. Apparently they have been making daily attempts to find this place while I was gone.” He leaned back against the thick wall of roots behind him and pulled one leg against his chest, leaving the other to stretch out completely in front of him.

“And what will happen now that you’re back? Do they know?” She asked curiously. She had never seen a pirate before, and was a bit anxious to see what they were really like.

“They know I’m back, and they’ll search twice as hard now.” He said and she frowned a bit. “It isn’t the lost boys they’re after really, it’s me.” He said next, which made her frown harder. Peter just laughed though. “No worries, they haven’t managed to catch me yet!” He seemed rather smug about that, and her smile slowly returned to her.

“So what do you all do around here anyway?” Rei asked as the gentle snores of 6 boys filled the room.

“We go on adventures of course! And kill pirates when they just so happen to get in our way.” That impish smirk of his was back in full force.

“Would you teach me to fight?” She blurted out, leaning closer to him. She was a bit surprised to see the smile drop from his face.

“I suppose I should just in case something were to happen. Wouldn’t want you to be captured.” Her smile only brightened at his words and she couldn’t wait to begin.

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Peter was at a loss. He knew he needed to teach Rei how to fight, but then again, he wanted to make sure the pirates never found out about her. He couldn’t risk them using her to get to him. Of course he worried about the boys being captured, but they knew better than to lose their concentration enough to be captured without alerting someone else to what was going on.

Rei was new to their world and their way of life and he just couldn’t take that kind of risk. But he could tell from the look in her eyes that she was determined to learn how to fight, and possibly wanted in on their adventures. He watched her now as she settled back down into his bed and wondered why she didn’t just move to her own. He also couldn’t bring himself to care very much about her presence there.

As soon as she was settled in once more he let himself lay down as well, thinking about ways to keep her hidden for a while, until he taught her to fight properly and showed her the lay of the land. He would have to make sure the boys knew that she wasn’t to go anywhere without them, and he would see to it that she was dressed as a boy for the time being. They would find out about her, and he wanted to make sure she was prepared.