Pan's Redemption

Chapter 37 ~Fantasy*

No one hated London more than Wendy. And all Wendy wanted was to get away from it when she saw him walk into class. She looked away and let her gaze fall onto her book. Wendy ignored the sadness she felt and the little stomach flips.

"Hey, Wendy." Daniel said with a bright smile Wendy refused to acknowledge. When he realized he was being ignored, he quickly added, "Let's be friends."

"Friends?" Wendy asked dryly, "Did you not remember yesterday? Let's just pretend like it never happened. You stay the popular jock, and I the book nerd."

"What if I don't want you to go back" He asked her suddenly. His voce whispered a truth Wendy never believed he could use for her.

"CLASS PLEASE SETTLE DOWN! I BELIEVE WE HAVE A NEW STUDENT!!" Wendy's mouth that had been open  to reply to Daniel closed and she began to skim her book like she usually did when a teacher addressed the class. Daniel sighed audibly before sitting in the seat in front of her.

"Why don't you tell us your name, son?" Mr. Matthews asked while shaking his head; clearly embarrassed of his class.

"I'm Peter." His voice caused Wendy's head to snap up. She wanted to scream in frustration. The kid, in that one sentence, had formed the 'I Don't Care About Anything' persona. Not another Daniel.

But looking at him closely, she realized he looked nothing like Daniel. His hair was a deep hazelnut color, nothing like Daniel's fake bleach blond. And even from the very back of the classroom, Wendy could make out the green flecks in his eyes.

Mr. Matthews caught on to Peter's personality type as Wendy did and pointed in her direction. "Well, Peter, why don't you seat yourself in the empty seat in the back next to miss Darling?" Peter found her easily considering the fact she was the only student looking at him directly. The rest of the class including Daniel wanted nothing to do with him. Turns out she wasn't the only misfit anymore.

Peter gracefully slid in his chair giving her a quick once-over. Apparently bored with plaid skirt and glasses, he turned to the teacher and silently carved random symbols into the wooden desk with a sharp looking letter opener which emerged from his backpack. Wendy tried not to look as alarmed as she felt.

"Darling?" Peter scoffed soft enough Daniel couldn't hear. It took her a second to realize he was making fun of her name and not actually talking to her.

She debated on whether to leave it be, but figured it wouldn't hurt adding a new problem in her life. It might even distract her from the 'friends' thing with Daniel. "It's Wendy, actually." She replied back a bit defiant.

Wendy earned a eyebrow from him and she simply turned back to the lesson. All the while she wondered:

How the hell does he have perfect eyebrows?

~~~~~~~~

It had been weeks since then and fall had turned to winter. Although Wendy always loved snow, winter wasn't the best time for the Darlings.

Winter meant Christmas. Christmas meant money. Money meant banks. And banks meant Mr. Darling. The freezing temperatures finally shoved all of the Darlings into the house with a warm fireplace. It seemed grand and all, but it was that time of year that Wendy's father liked silence best to finish his work. With three children condemned into one echoey house, something was bound to go wrong.

"Children, please, could you retire to your rooms and let your father work?" Mrs. Darling asked tiredly.

After taking five minutes to make herself tea, Wendy climbed up to her room and locked the door. She admired it for a moment. The cherry colored mahogany floors. The large wardrobe set up against the south wall. Perfectly victorian crown molding designs. The fluffy white bed with gold sheets. For some reason she felt herself trying to memorize it. It wasn't like she hadn't seen it yesterday.