The Heart of Neverland

I helped Jon to my bed, and as I did he explained, "he just came out of no where Wendy, I don't even understand what happened. One moment I was working at my desk and the next someone hit me over the head with my cricket bat."  He shook his head angrily, but then stopped and rubbed his temples when he realized how much it hurt. "My own cricket bat, used against me!"

"Jon," I coaxed gently, grabbing my little brothers hands and peeling them from is head so I could look him in the eyes. "What happened next?" 

"I'm not really sure. I didn't black out completely, but I wasn't all the way conscious either. As I laid on the floor I thought I heard voices and Michael was yelling and struggling, but they managed to tie him up none the less.

"Then, the room became eerily quiet and I felt a boot kick me over and I was suddenly looking up at Captain Hook. He and one of his pirates were looked down at me. This pirate had a bushy mustache and I swear I remember him as if in a dream, but that's when I thought, this couldn't be happening this is a dream..."

"Jon, did they say anything to you?" 

"Not too me. But as they looked at me the pirate said, 'Captain, what about this one?' and Hook waved his good hand at me and said that I wasn't needed. 

"By this time I was feeling a little bit stronger, and even though I knew I should get up and fight, I couldn't Wendy, oh I couldn't, so I just laid there until they left. As soon as they were gone I picked myself up as fast as my pounding head allowed me and I stumbled to the window only to see a huge black pirate ship pulling away from our house. A huge black pirate ship Wendy, in the middle of London, at our house? I must be cracked, this cannot be happening, oh Wendy!"

"Jon," I said assertively, looking him straight in the eyes, "listen to me, this is real. What just happened is real, and we need to pull ourselves together. Peter is here as well and..."

"Peter? Peter Pan?" he asked me with the widest eyes that held oceans of disbelief. "Will this madness ever stop?"

"Jon, really, please, calm down," then, as I remembered something, I asked, "Why did the house shake like an earthquake right before you came here?"

"Hook slammed his pirate ship into our house and broke the windows in our room. I don't know what else happened, but it sounded so violent I thought the roof was going to tumble down."

"He hit our house with his pirate ship and kidnapped my little brother?" I shouted, feeling rage growing within me, and I turned around to look for Peter but stopped short when I didn't see him where I had last left him. 

"If you're looking for that ginger man he ran out as soon as I came in," Jon said quietly, knowing exactly who I was looking for.

"Jon, that man was Peter, my Peter Pan." I took a deep breath and thought aloud, "he must have went to find the source of the crash. I'm going to go and find him."

Jon started to stand and I gently pushed him back down, "I'm coming too." He said with a determined strength, and he swatted my hand from his shoulder, stood, and walked to the door. 

"If you think you can, though that's a nasty bump on your head," I scolded him as we walked briskly down the hall and up a flight of stairs. 

"Wendy, I didn't fight when Michael was kidnapped, I need to do something now. I may hurt but he's-" and his words were instantly gone when he walked into his room and saw Peter's silhouette standing by the broken window. 

Shards of broken glass stood between us, but Peter didn't even seem to notice as he walked across them to reach me. "Wendy, this is a grave situation. I need to return to Neverland now to rescue your brother. Hook won't just hold him captive, no, Hook has become much more sinister since..." he trailed off and for the first time, he saw Jon. "My boy, how you have grown!" 

I watched as my brother looked Peter up and down, an expression of suspicion written all over his face. "I could say the same about you," he told Peter, who merely shrugged. 

"Peter, Jon and I are coming with you to Neverland," I told him, touching his arm. For a moment, I saw Peter struggle with something within himself. Holding my breath, I hoped he would agree, for I knew the only way to Neverland was through Peter.

"What about your parents?" he asked, his mouth setting in a grim, straight line. 

"Not home tonight," I answered, crossing my arms.

"And I don't want to be here when they come back!" Jon added, and for the first time since Hook's appearance, Peter smiled and actually broke into laughter. 

"Let me pull out my extra pixie dust and we'll be on our way," he told us, sighing, and then under his breath so I could barley hear, Peter muttered, "Tinker Bell thought something like this would happen."

"You should really learn to listen to her," I joked quietly, touching his arm again, and I swear, this time when my hand lay on his skin, I could feel a tremble. 

A tremble from his very heart.