her. “We wiln’t. Not until Peter’s all right with all of this and all of us.”
“‘All of this’ sounds like a terrible idea,” Wendy said forlornly.
But the little fairy smiled, looking more than a touch smug.
Luna chose that moment to burst onto the scene.
She had found one of the “secret” doors to the hideout almost immediately and scrambled down—much more elegantly than Wendy. She barked happily, pleased with her entrance and audience.
“Wow! A wolf!” Cubby said in awe.
“He’s so fierce!” Skipper sighed.
“She’s mine,” Wendy said proudly, going over to pet her. “And I’m hers.”
“That’s incredible. She’s beautiful,” Slightly said, a little jealous but more impressed.
As she ran her hands over the wolf’s coat, Wendy saw with dismay it was covered in burrs and mud. Luna panted—a little laboriously—and leaned extra hard against her human friend. It was obvious she was exhausted. Still part puppy, she was too young to realize when she had worn herself out.
Honestly, Wendy was feeling a little done in as well. Flying was hard work. And so was being kidnapped by pirates.
“Poor girl! Well, if we must go on alone,” she said (a little peevishly; she couldn’t help it), “I think we will require a bit of rest and refreshment here first.”
The fairy looked outraged and put her hands on her hips. She made a very obvious walking motion with two of her fingers, then pointed to the door. No. We have to keep going.
“I’m sorry, you might be used to spending most of your day on wing,” Wendy said politely, “but while it’s glorious sport, like something out of a dream, well, unlike a dream, it’s a bit exhausting. Like all sports, really. And Luna had to run here on foot. She’s had it.”
The fairy frowned at Luna and then tossed her head. Like she was saying, Fine, all right, but only for your wolf. Not for you.
“You heard her, boys! It’s teatime!” Slightly cried.
In a sort of reverse of Snow White’s story, the boys ran around gathering what provisions they could like dwarfs desperately making everything nice for their lady guest. The twins quickly filled a basket with berries and fruit. Cubby found a big bowl of nuts. Slightly blew embers into a lovely little fire and put the kettle on (where they had gotten the kettle, a highly decorated affair of blue and gold enamel, was a mystery). Tootles somehow managed to carry and set out a stack of mismatched cups: wood, bone china, and coconut shell. Skipper brought out a pot of golden comb honey.
While this happy chaos was happening, Wendy took the opportunity to approach the fairy alone, in a—very slightly—quieter part of the hideout.
“Tinker Bell?” she ventured. “So that is your name?”
The fairy looked at her in surprise—then grudgingly nodded her head.
“Did you…Did you really keep Peter from going to London…on purpose?”
Tinker Bell looked away, but she didn’t disagree.
Wendy was torn. More than anything she wanted this beautiful little fairy to be her friend, to like her back, to initiate her into the secret world of flowers and fey folk. But she had to know the truth.
“Did you really do it because you were…jealous of me?”
Tinker Bell crossed her arms and scowled at her. She jingled something disdainful.
“Of…me?” Wendy repeated, indicating her torn dress, her size, her brown hair, her overall very un-fairylike plainness.
Tinker Bell nodded, a little less certainly.
“Well, I think that’s very flattering. Perhaps even the highest compliment I’ve ever been paid—no matter how backhanded. I thank you.”
The fairy rolled her eyes. Wendy sighed. She sat down heavily on a barrel.
“If we are being completely honest here, and I feel we should be since we are companions in this strange adventure, then I should tell you straight: I do like Peter Pan. I used to worship him, in fact. I used to dream about him, too. I suppose if he had actually come to me, I might have…well, who knows. He’s all I ever cared about, really, besides Mother and Father and Michael and John and Nana, of course.”
Tinker Bell had an aha! look on her face, and waggled an accusing finger at the human girl.
“But I never even saw him while I was awake, Tinker Bell,” Wendy pointed out. “These thoughts of him were just that—all in my imagination. I am very sorry it upset you to come and listen to my stories. But I was never even aware that you and Peter were there. You have had such amazing, real adventures with him here in Never