Never Never

The next time Rei woke she did so without any surprises. She knew where she was this time, and that it wasn’t just some crazy dream. The gentle snores of the boys filled the air and she was glad to be the only one awake. She slipped out of Peter’s bed as noiselessly as possible, watching him carefully to make sure he wasn’t going to wake up. She held her breath as Peter shifted and kept her body stalk still, biting down on her lower lip. But the boy didn’t wake, he simply rolled onto his side with his back now facing her and settled in again. She let out the breath she was holding slowly and moved the rest of the way off of the bed.

Rei then picked up her duffel bag, looking around quickly to make sure every boy was still sound asleep. She needed to change so, as quickly and quietly as she could, she picked out some clothes from her bag and looked around for a decent place to change. She found one space in the room that was relatively hidden away and moved to it, clutching her clothing to her as she did so. She changed quickly, pulling on a dark green skirt that fell to her knees and a white tank top.

When she put her other clothes into her bag she pulled out her brush, running it quickly through her sleep mussed hair before weaving it into a loose braid and tying off the end with the pony tail holder she always had around her wrist. She had the urge to go out and look around a little and get some fresh air into her lungs, so she drifted over to the collection of swords and knives and pulled a decently sized dagger carefully from its place. She didn’t know much about fighting, but just in case she happened to run across someone while she was outside she wanted to be armed.

Rei swept past the sleeping boys and climbed her way to the entrance of the hide out, smiling a little to herself as she pushed the improvised door up just high enough for her to slip out before pushing it shut again. It was still dark out, but the moon was full and it cast a misty light across the landscape, making it seem even more dream like then it had in full daylight.

She took a long look at the slim dagger in her hand, wishing she had thought to grab a sheath of some form to keep it in. So for the time being she just cut a slit just under the waist band of her skirt and weaved it through from the inside out to make sure she wouldn’t be cut if she stumbled. With that little dilemma sorted she lifted her head and began walking, taking in everything around her as well as keeping her eyes and ears open for anything that may not belong there.

The foliage was strange to her eyes, flowers of every color and shape imaginable spread out amongst the tall trees. Strange bushes with large leaves sprouted randomly against the sides of the small path she was on and the ground was mossy and damp beneath her bare feet. The air smelled clean and crisp, so different from the polluted air she was used to breathing.

She soon came upon a small stream with crystal clear water rushing through it and smiled, deciding that this was as good a spot as any to kick back and enjoy the new world around her. She sat down on the waters edge, tucking her skirt beneath her and adjusting the dagger at her hip as she did so. Once Rei was settled on the soft earth she dipped her feet into the clear running water and let out a pleased sigh.

She had never seen a place so beautiful before, having been raised in the city all her life. Never Land made her feel calm and excited again, the way she had been when she was younger, and it was a relief to know that she could feel just as free as she had back then. After her moment of reflection she tipped back and let herself fall against the ground, looking through the moonlit leaves at the small patches of starry sky and felt a smile tug at her lips again. She never wanted to leave this place.

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Peter woke quickly, startled awake by a loud thump nearby and jolted up, pulling his knife out as his eyes darted around for a threat. The room was still and he spotted Nibbs on the floor, tossing around to get comfortable again after falling from his bed. He laughed to himself as he slipped his knife back into its sheath when he suddenly realized that he was alone in his bed. He shot out of bed then, flying about the room and shaking each boy awake.

“Get up! Rei is gone!” Each boy woke up grumbling until they heard what he was saying and each, in turn, practically fell out of their beds in their haste to collect their weapons. “Split up and search, we’ll meet back here in an hour.” He ordered. Time was a hard thing to keep track of really, but they had all learned to keep an eye on the sun or moon to track the hours of the day when they needed to. They all spilled out of the hideout, splitting up into 4 different groups, Slightly and Nibbs in one group, the twins in the second, Curly and Tootles making up the third, leaving Peter and Tinker Bell to fly off through the tree top exit.

“Now Tink, I know you don’t like Rei, but we have to find her, so no messing around alright?” Peter said to the fairy and she responded in the affirmative, knowing what would happen if she goofed off at all with this. The sun was shining brightly and he estimated it to be at least 10am now and he wondered just how long Rei had been gone.

The pair flew low through the trees, weaving easily between them and keeping two sets of keen eyes out for the girl. He hoped she hadn’t gone too far away from the hide out and that she wasn’t lost or captured or worse. Soon though, Tinker Bell fluttered around his head quickly, pulling on his hair and pointing at a figure stretched out along the edge of a stream.

“Good work Tink!” He said, soaring quickly downwards and landing easily and quietly a few feet away from the girl. He was about to alert her to his presence, but closed his mouth quickly when he heard humming. Rei was laying flat on her back against the cool earth with both feet in the water. She was wearing a simple green skirt that was fanned out against her slim legs and the forest floor beneath her with a plain white tank top and her hair was once again braided. Her full, pink lips were turned up at each corner in a gentle smile as she hummed a simple melody that he hadn’t heard before.

The girl’s eyes were closed and from where he was standing he could just slightly see the play of dark lashes against her pale skin. He had yet to see her this way, the sun that filtered through the trees lighting up the parts of her that it reached. She looked so carefree now that it took him a moment to realize that she had one of his own daggers at her hip. The fact that she thought to bring along a weapon made him smirk and he turned to Tink, who was hovering next to his right ear.

“Go find the boys and let them know I’ve found her okay?” He whispered and she nodded quickly, flying back the way they’d come. He turned his attention back to Rei now, pondering waiting a few more minutes before letting her in on the fact that he was watching her. He just shrugged to himself though and decided against it. So, with a smile he cleared his throat loudly, laughing when the girl squeaked and flew into a sitting position, hand going straight for the dagger.

“Oh my god Peter, don’t scare me like that!” She groaned, pulling her feet from the water and standing up, brushing dirt from her back and skirt.

“How long have you been out here?” He asked, getting straight to it.

“Oh, uh…” The girl started, looking up at the sky and frowning, as if just realizing something. “Quite a long time. I didn’t even notice the sun had come up until just now.” Peter’s eyes widened and he walked the few remaining feet that separated them and took a hold of her shoulders tightly.

“You’ve been out here since early morning? What were you thinking? Something could have happened to you! Next time wake me up and I’ll come with you.” His worry seemed to shock her and she just nodded, staring at him with green eyes wide.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stay out so long. I just wanted to get some fresh air.” She said when he released her and after a moment he smiled.

“Wake someone up next time. Until I teach you how to fight I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to be out here on your own.” He said, “Besides, you don’t know this place well enough to just go wandering around!” He was falling back into his normal carefree attitude now as she nodded and smiled back at him. “Let’s head back, the others should be there waiting for us by now, and they’ll want to hear you sing!”

He rose effortlessly into the air, flying feeling more natural to him then walking, and waited for Rei to do the same. Now her smile was bright as she flew to join him and she followed close to him as he led the way back home.

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Rei had been touched and very surprised with Peter’s concern. She didn’t think it would be that big of a deal, but then again she didn’t even plan on staying outside for so long. She had had every intention of getting back before anyone else woke up. But those thoughts were gone now as she flew, and she couldn’t imagine life without this sensation already. It was just such a liberating feeling. It was also a lot faster then walking was, and it wasn’t long before Peter was grasping her hand and taking her through the tree top entrance that she assumed he had taken the first time she had entered the place. When they were both firmly planted on both feet he released her hand and took it upon himself to remove the dagger from the side of her skirt.

“Where did you wander off to?” One of the boys said, startling her a bit, for she hadn’t realized that they really were already waiting for them.

“Oh, I was by a stream not far from here.” She replied, smiling a bit at the 6 of them. Peter wandered off towards his bed as the boys started asking her if she would sing for them, and once they had settled down she had agreed and they all practically fell over one another to find a spot to sit down while she took up one of the chairs from the table. She sang softly at first and it seemed at if every sound in the room died out when she started. It made her nervous, singing in front of people, but once she got going she couldn’t bring herself to stop.

She drifted in and out of different songs, sweet songs, happy songs and a few sad ones, until her throat felt raw with the exertion.

“Wow that was amazing! You should sing for us every day!” The twins chorused and she laughed a little, wincing as she did so.

“I think I’d lose my voice if I sang for you for that long every day.” It was proven by the way her voice cracked as she spoke and she was now in desperate need of water.

“Alright guys, that’s enough, you all have things to do before we eat so go out and get them done.” Rei turned her head to look at Peter as he set the order and it didn’t really come as a shock that every boy jumped to his feet and did as they were told. With the attention now off of her for the time being she took the opportunity to hunt down some water and was glad when she found a large clay urn filled with what she hoped was fresh water.

“I knew they would love you.” She heard Peter say as she picked up a hand made clay cup from the table and filled it almost to the brim with water. She downed half of it before responding.

“Oh you did, did you?” She asked, laughing a little as he quirked a brow at her and smiled that impish smile that she was slowly getting used to.

“Of course!” He exclaimed, making her laugh again. A brief silence descended upon then and she took that chance to drain her cup of water before setting it down.

“So, are you going to teach me to fight or not?” Rei asked boldly, stepping towards the adventurous boy with a smile on her face.

“You sure you’re ready for it?” He asked mockingly, but she could tell from his tone that he was just playing with her so she nodded vigorously, more eager than she thought she would be to get started. He turned from her then, pulling two swords from their collection and digging a sheath for one from beneath his bed. One of the swords was slipped behind his back, held against it easily by the thick band of leaves that circled his chest, shoulder, and split off to cover a bit of his stomach as well.

The other sword he slipped into the sheath he’d fished out, and when he handed it to her she noticed it was attached to a belt and she smiled, fastening it quickly around her waist. It drooped down a bit where the weight of the sword pulled, but it was comfortable enough and it was something she would be able to get used to easily given time.

“It suits you.” Peter quipped, and she looked up to see him already hovering in the air. She had to assume that it was just a reflex by now, because he seemed to do it without even thinking about it. Rei, on the other hand, actually had to concentrate to get in the air. The happy thought she used? The thought of staying in Never Land with Peter and never having to return to her mother’s house. It did the trick again and she felt her feet leave the ground.

“We’ll be back!” Peter shouted and they left with a chorus of farewells on their heels.

She had no clue where he was leading her, but she trusted him more then she should since she hardly knew him. It seemed strange to her that she had this much trust in a person, but she chalked it up to his impeccable honesty and happy demeanor. She hadn’t met anyone like him in her entire 15 years of life, and she doubted she ever would.

She was pulled from her musings as Peter let go of her hand and she scrambled to follow as he started to descend. Now that she was actually paying attention she saw a huge, crumbling castle with thick, dark, ominous clouds over it. The threat of rain and deep, booming thunder hung thick in the air.

Rei didn’t know whether she should be frightened or excited about the fact that they were going there, but soon excitement rode over everything else and she couldn’t contain herself anymore.

“What is this place?” She yelled, trying to keep up with Peter’s hard flying pace. She was getting the hang of it, but she knew she had a long way to go before she would even be half the flier that Peter was. The boy in question threw a smirk at her over his shoulder and shouted back,

“The Black Castle.” The name definitely suited the place and she wondered briefly just who might have lived there when it was whole, if it ever had been whole in the first place.

Peter led her to a wide space that looked like it had been a room before the castle began to fall apart, and she just hoped that the floor was stable enough. It proved sound when Peter pulled himself up to a stop and landed easily so she followed suit, pushing back to right herself and letting her feet hit the cold stone. She watched as Peter took a few steps away and reached behind his back, pulling the sword he had brought out, simply holding it down at his side for the moment. Rei took the hint and pulled her own free.

He pulled his sword up then, moving his body so that his left leg was spaced out behind his right and held his left arm back with his palm facing her.

“Ready yourself.” He said seriously, so she mimicked his stance, gripping the sword hilt tightly with anticipation. He came at her faster than she thought he would, his blade cutting through the air. She gasped and moved to parry, biting her lip as the vibration from the impact jarred her arm. Practice had officially begun, and she knew now that Peter would show no mercy.