Oh my god, she thought, someone was shooting cannons at them.
Another cannon whizzed by them–Petyr narrowly dodged it. "Hang on to me tightly," Petyr yelled over the noise of another explosion. Wendy clasped both wrists, her arms circled around his neck. He let go of her legs and they swung down towards the earth. The earth that was hundreds of yards below them. Wendy tried not to look. With his free hand, he pulled out his dagger and swung it into the sunlight.
"What are you doing? You can't fight a cannon!" Wendy shrieked. Petyr ignored her and adjusted the dagger, then began to twist it in an odd jerking motion. After a few seconds, there were no more explosions. The day became strangely silent. Then he resheathed the dagger and adjusted Wendy back into his arms. "How...what happened?" Wendy tried to gather her thoughts.
"The Lost Boys. I had to signal to them that everything was okay. They can get a little...enthusiastic."
"Enthusiastic? They were trying to kill us!"
Petyr laughed, "Us? No, they were trying to kill you."
Wendy felt her mouth go dry, "Uhhhh, but...but why?" They were drawing closer and closer to the large tree and Wendy could see shapes moving in the branches. She noticed more ropes, and soon wooden buildings and bridges cleverly hidden amidst the gnarled trunk appeared, perfectly disguised as the tree.
"Well, probably because..." but before he could finish they were landing upon a large wooden platform surrounded by rope railings, and completely mobbed by a group of boys. Petyr pushed Wendy behind him as the boys tumbled over one another to get to him.
"Pan! You're back! Whaddya bring me, whaddya bring me!" A small boy with dark, thick curly hair came bounding up to them. He had shoved a tall, thin blond boy on their way over and the blond boy now cuffed him in the back of the head. "Ow Basil!" then he turned and tackled the blond boy, now dubbed Basil, and the two began to roll around on the platform, moving dangerously closer to the edge.
Realizing no one else seemed to care about their precarious predicament Wendy called, "Wait, stop!" before they rolled over the edge.
The cacophony and chaos ended and all eyes turned to her. Eyes wide, mouths slack, they stared at her in disbelief. Wendy clasped her hands in front of her, feeling uncomfortable at all of the attention.
"Who are you?" The small one asked, lowering his fist before he could punch Basil.
"Boys, this is Gwendylon Moira Angela Darling. Wendy." Petyr stepped over the pair and walked towards the tallest boy in the group. "John, show her around, then get her settled in Jo..." he paused, his gaze going off into the distance. Then he shook off whatever had taken hold of him, "Just get her settled." Then he was gone, across one of the bridge and into one of the tree's many huts.
Wendy wanted to call out to him, then decided against it, she was not sure why she wanted him with her but she shouldn't. Although, she did follow him with her eyes, and when she turned back, the boys were still staring at her. "Umm...hello."
The tall boy that Petyr had called John moved towards her. He wore a similar outfit to Petyr: a white shirt, brown knee-length shorts. No shoes. He also had a dangerous looking sword swinging at his hip. He was about the same height as Petyr, but his brown eyes were much kinder. He stuck out his hand, "Hello Wendy, I'm John."
Wendy slipped her hand in his and he squeezed it gently, she smiled at him. "Pleased to meet you, John."
When they released hands, John began pointing to the others, "That little one there is Pip, the skinny blond scallywag is Basil on the floor, and these two beside me are the twins: Toby and Tomas." Each gave her a small wave or nod as they were introduced.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Make our wot?" Pip burst out, wrinkling his nose.
Wendy giggled, then hurriedly tried to cover it with her hand after seeing Pip's pout. "It means I am really happy to be meeting you."
"Now, You must be hungry. Most of his girls...uhhh..." John began to stutter and cough, "Urgh...What I mean is, you must be hungry."
Wendy chose not to comment on the "his girls" comment, she didn't really care to know about Petyr's–proclivities. "Food sounds wonderful, and possibly a change of clothes? If you have any to spare." She had noticed the lack of females and the type of clothing the boys wore, while it did not seem overly worn, was not particularly varied. They all wore a type of loose-fitting tunic, tucked into short breeches.
"Sure, Tomas could you go grab some extra clothes?" Both the twins turned and took off towards a hut on the right side of the tree. Then John beckoned her forward, "Come on, this way." He led her in the opposite direction. Wendy cautiously followed but found sure footing on the well-built bridges.
"This is amazing. Did you build all of this?" She gawked at the interconnected platforms and ladders.
John helped her over a rope bridge, Pip and Basil trailed close behind. "Some of it. Most of it was already here when we arrived, but we've added to it over time." Then he held aside a cloth curtain draped in a doorway. Wendy ducked inside and found herself in a cozy room. Strained light streamed through small cracks in the boards, and glowing candles lit the darker corners. It was a round room built with various colored boards and stripped branches twisted and tied together. At the center of the room was a large table and benches. Wendy's mouth began to water at the sight of what was on the table–fresh fruit, loaves of bread, steaming heaps of fish, all served on wooden platters. Her stomach growled, the last thing she remembered eating was her lonely scone. John pulled out a low stool and gestured to her, "Please, sit."
"Thank you," Wendy gifted him with a radiant smile, and she watched John's ears turn pink before he sat down across from her. She was relieved to have found someone who was solicitous and who was willing to help her–unlike another boy she knew on this island.
Pip and Basil fell into chairs on either side of her, and soon the twins trooped in, choosing to sit next to John on the other side. "All right boys, let's bow our heads and say the Lord's Grace." John eyed Pip as the small boy started to reach for some bread. Pip snatched his hand back and clasped both together. Wendy bowed her head, how civilized.
"The Lord's Grace." The boys intoned. Then it was a free-for-all.
Food and cutlery alike rattled about as they filled their plates until the food spilled off the side. It all happened so fast that Wendy didn't have the wherewithal to grab anything. But John, with a menacing glare at the others, made sure they gave her a bit from each of their plates before they completely mauled their food.
Wendy ate slowly, savoring the hearty meal and sipping cool, refreshing water from a carved wooden mug. It was a quiet affair as the boys tucked in, but she wasn't used to the silence. Michael, Her, and Old Tim would always share stories and jokes during meals. Michael, he was probably wondering where she was. A sick feeling spread through the pit of her stomach, What if he thinks I died? Or worse...what if he thinks I abandoned him? With the echoes of those thoughts clouding her mind, she soon lost her appetite.
John's voice dragged her from her pensive mood, "You probably have questions?"
"Actually I do, a lot, I just don't know where to start." She confessed.
He nodded knowingly, "Most don't, but I can try my best. I still don't know the half of it myself."
"Are you Petyr's new girl?" Pip asked around a mouthful of food.
If Wendy had been eating anything at the time, she would have spit it out, "Petyr's new girl? Good heavens, No!" she squeaked out.
"Pip, shut your gob," Were the first words Basil spoke since she had been there as he leaned past Wendy.
"You shut your gob, I can ask a question!" Pip hollered back.
John slammed his hand on the table, effectively curbing the brewing argument, "Yes, Basil, he can. And Pip, why don't you wait until I'm finished the story before you start wagging your tongue about." With each word, the twins bobbed their heads in unison, faces devoid of any expression. Basil and Pip, mildly chastised, settled back down. "Thank you, now I guess I'll start from the beginning, at least the beginning that I know..."
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