The Never Beginnings

Chapter 2: Nightmares

After Wendy's mother had said goodnight she had slept peacefully for a while. She dreamed that she was flying over an enchanted island, laughing and being chased by someone in green. But then the dream turned into a nightmare with blurs of red and black, a pair of eyes and flashes of gleaming metal. She woke up in a cold sweat, lying on the floor being strangled by her blankets. She didn't know what time it was, but it was still dark outside.

Wendy detangled herself from her bed sheets and walked over to the window opened it and sat down on the bench. Bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, Wendy tried to calm her breathing. She let the cool night air wash away the horrid images in her mind and calm her nerves.

The dream had been so pleasant at the start, but then had turned so horribly wrong. She tried to remember what happened but all she could see where those eyes. They never looked directly at her but those eyes were so full of hate and malice, it turned her blood cold. She had never seen such evil. She shuddered and hugged herself closer. Wendy eventually drifted off into an uneasy sleep. She stayed there the rest of the night going from nightmare to nightmare and all with those murderous eyes. Suffice to say, Wendy did not have a restful night.

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Wendy Moria Angela Darling was exhausted. She begged her mother to let her stay home from school, but her father would hear nothing of it. So Wendy tried her best to stay focused, tried but didn't succeed. She stumbled and fell during their daily dance instruction, earning her a lecture on the grace a poise of a lady who was never to stumble. She nodded off during their history lesson and much to her dismay had started snoring. The teacher had called her to stay after class to apologize for her lack of respect. Wendy could think of nothing else to do to keep her awake during their English lesson, so she started to draw in her notebook.

She wasn't really paying any attention to what she was drawing, but when she looked down she let out a loud gasp. She had drawn the horrible eyes from her nightmare. Wendy was too shocked to notice the professor coming down the aisle to see what she had gasped at. Before Wendy realized it the professor had snatched her notebook and with a face full of horror insisted that Wendy stay after class.

She got quite the lecture on how one, it was rude to doodle during lessons; and two a young lady, if she was to draw, was to draw only lovely things. But no! Wendy had drawn horrible hate filled eyes. A disgrace should anyone have seen! It was improper and it worried the teacher. She told Wendy that a young lady her age was to stop her foolish imagination from running wild and untamed and to grow up and become a respectable young woman.

That thought did not set well with Wendy and she ran from the classroom with tears running down her face. It wasn't her fault she had those horrible dreams. She was able to make it through the rest of the school day without incident, thankfully, in fear of causing more embarrassment for herself.

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Once she had returned home from school, Wendy was forced to spend the rest of the dreary afternoon with her aunt, who was determined to make her into a refined young lady. Lessons had been unusually tiresome today and her aunt was unusually irritating. Wendy longed to be able to go outside to play and run around in her bare feet like Michael and John. They didn't have to practice needlework or learn how to manage a household. All they had to do was recite their arithmetic problems and then they were free to go. Wendy just wanted to run off the stress of school, her aunt, and the terrible nightmares she had.

Wendy let out an exaggerated sigh and turned back to her aunt, who was lecturing about the importance of matching dinnerware and tablecloths. She rolled her eyes and prayed that she would be able make it through lessons and dinner without saying an unkind remark or fall asleep.

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Peter sped across the sky. He mentally kicked himself for not paying attention to what time it was. He had been so caught up in playing tag with the fairies from Kensington Garden, that he didn't realize the sun set. He had never had to worry about time in Neverland but here on the mainland time was important. Especially if he wanted to make it to the window in time to hear the story about him. And Peter Pan didn't want to miss that.

Peter flew across the city lost in thoughts from the night before; the untidy nursery, the funny boy with glasses, the little boy in the red pajamas, and lastly the strange girl. He let his thoughts linger on her for a moment. Peter remembering her startling blue eyes and how they sparkled when they said his name and how his stomach felt funny when she said it. He was in such a state that he didn't realize the tiny tugging and jingles in his ear.

"Peter...Peter...PETER PAN! WE ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY!" the little fairy yelled. Peter shook the daze out of his eyes.

"What?" he said confused. Tink clenched her tiny fists in frustration and kicked at the boy's ear.

"If you would kindly get that stupid look off your face and pay attention you would realize that we are going the WRONG WAY!" Peter looked at his surroundings noting that this was definitely not the right way to the nursery window. He rolled his eyes, annoyed that he had been caught off guard and now had lost even more time.

"Come on Tink," the boy said waving to the fairy, "We've got to hurry if we are ever going to get to the window in time!" Tink just huffed, she knew that, but she wasn't the one who couldn't fly straight tonight. Peter and Tink zoomed around the city until they found the familiarly charming street with the warm, inviting, nursery window.