Wendy moved quickly through the underbrush, head cocked, listening for the sounds of the Lost Boys. She was not far behind, she had seen the back of Pip disappear as she had climbed down the ladder. She picked up her pace when she heard the snapping of branches up ahead. She was close. She pushed aside a large fern and ran straight into John.
"Wendy!" he exclaimed as she bounced off his surprisingly solid chest and landed on her rump. "What are you doing?" He quickly reached down and helped her up.
Wendy rubbed her sore behind and glanced up at him, "I didn't want to be left behind. I wanted to help."
John snorted. "Help? You would have been more helpful if you had stayed. We can handle this."
"Now you sound like Petyr."
"Well, Pan did have a point."
Wendy ducked her head, surprised at John's harsh tone.
She heard him sigh deeply, "But...at the same time. One more person would make things easier."
She perked up and reached for the short sword in its sheath at her side. John's hand came over hers, stilling its quest for the weapon. "You can be the lookout, that way Pip and Basil both can take the high ground with their slingshot and bow." Wendy realized Basil had traded his favored throwing knives for a wicked-looking bow and fire sharpened arrows.
"The lookout?"
He grinned at her. "Take it or leave."
Wendy grumbled under her breath but gave a jerk of her chin in affirmation. "Where are we going?"
Pip shoved past and grabbed her hand, bouncing up and down, "We are going to see the mermaids!"
Wendy fell into step with him, the boys closed in around her, John leading and the others in a ring behind her. "Mermaids? But there is no such..." She paused. If Petyr could fly and Pirates roamed the island, then there very well could be mermaids. "Very well, let's go see the mermaids."
Wendy trotted along with Pip beside her and enjoyed a sense of belonging amongst the young men. Michael would have loved this feeling of camaraderie.
John set a fast pace. Behind his jovial good nature, Wendy could see the flashes of worry and anxiousness every time he looked back and hastened them along.
She noticed the forest receding gradually and soon they were out in the open, to their left cliffs, to the right, ocean. Then as they rounded a corner, Mermaid Lagoon came into view.
The beach glistened with pure white sand. Large, flattened rocks jutted up out of the shallow turquoise waters. A crescent reef deterred any type of ship from entering the lagoon.
Wendy narrowed her eyes, trying to penetrate the waters, searching for a mermaid. The water changed color in waves as it drew further out to sea, moving from translucent to turquoise to a dark blue.
John walked to the edge of the lapping waters, "Basil, Pip, post up on those short bluffs over there," he gestured to their right, "Tomas, Toby, staves ready." Then he turned to Wendy, "And Wendy."
"Yes?"
"No matter what you see or hear, do not go into the water."
Wendy swallowed hard the icy knot of fear and took a few large steps backward, away from the gentle pool.
John then pulled a small satchel that hung around his neck and under his shirt. He rifled through it with his fingers and then pulled something small out of it. The small thing glittered in the sunlight and Wendy saw that it was a precious stone, a ruby it looked like based on its blood-red coloring. John then drew back his arm and threw the ruby out into the ocean. It landed close to the reef with a tiny splash.
Wendy's eyes widened at his strange act but didn't have time to ask what he was doing. The ocean began roiling and foaming, then the bubbles began moving closer until Wendy could see something swimming under the waters. It was long and sleek. Then a head slowly appeared from beneath the surface.
She was stunning. Long bluish-gray hair fanned out around her ethereally elfin face. Her eyes, rimmed by thick, wet lashes that reached her eyebrows, were an opaque blue. Skin, pale and like porcelain, unmarred and smooth. She swam closer, more of her body rising out of the ocean, making Wendy blush as she saw that the mermaid had no covering.
She came right up to John, her belly scraping the sand, her long pale blue fin slapping the top of the water. John didn't move, but stared down at her, fingers brushing his sword.
The mermaid noticed and smiled–showing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. "Little lost boy, why did you summon me? Do you wish to take a swim with me." She caressed his leg and Wendy saw John flinch.
"No, Meridia, I need information."
The mermaid, Meridia, pouted beautifully, "That's all you want from me? Information? Not a kiss?"
"No, information is all I'm bargaining for. We need to know about Tigerlily."
Meridia rolled onto her back and stretched, fingers dabbling in the sand. Wendy looked away politely.
"Carry me home, upon the waves. Carry me far away. I am searching the seas, for my lost love. Whose heart is my home." Meridia sang in a high lilting voice. Wendy ached at the song, it squeezed at her heart, tugging it forward.
"Enough games, Meridia. Do you know anything about Tigerlily's whereabouts?"
Meridia laughed and sat up, splashing in the water, her hair streaming down her back. "Dream my sweet child, dream of me. Don't cry for me, my sweet child. I will return in your dreams."
Wendy couldn't hold back the tears, nor the sob that spilled from her lips, "Michael." She cried and dropped to her knees.
Tomas rushed to her side as John dragged his sword forth. "Meridia. Stop now. Quit tormenting her."
Meridia stopped laughing and rolled her eyes. "I couldn't help it, she wears her heart on her sleeve. Pan better watch out with this one..."
"Enough! Do you have any news on Tigerlily?"
She tossed her head and began braiding locks of her hair, "I may have assisted a man from the Jolly Roger to Davy Jones...and while I was there I might have heard Hook mention Tigerlily."
"May have? Or heard it?"
At that Meridia, scooted forward and shot back out to sea before John could stop her, "May!" she called back and then dove under the waters, her tail flipping up and then disappearing for good.
ns 18.68.41.175da2
