“Hook has pink hair?” Peter exclaimed, eyes shining with delight. “This I have got to see!” He leapt into the air and went to fly out the door of the underground house. He jerked back with a cry when Wendy grabbed his pony-tail and pulled him to a halt.

“Will you sit down and listen for once?” she snapped angrily. “Nibs was saying something about Slightly.”

Peter pulled himself free, but returned to the circle of boys. “There is no Slightly,” he answered sullenly. He very much wanted to go because he didn’t want to hear the rest. But Wendy had been cross with him a lot lately, and he didn’t want to provoke her further.

“Jason, Slightly, he’s the same person,” Tink scolded. “Changing his name doesn’t make him a different person, no matter how much you want to pretend it does.”

Peter’s face darkened and he narrowed his eyes. Tink had been cross with all the boys lately, too, especially with Peter. It was good to see Wendy and Tink finally getting along, but not when they ganged up on him. No more girls allowed in Neverland, he swore softly as he sat back down. “Alright! Fine! So what about Slightly?”

Nibs recounted his conversation with the ex-Lost Boy. Everyone gasped in concern when Slightly guessed where they lived, but they agreed with Nibs – if Slightly was a pirate, why hadn’t Hook come for them already?

“But it’s worse, Peter,” Nibs said carefully, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Hook’s beating Slightly.”

“What?” Peter said lowly, his face becoming hard.

“He didn’t even ask about the bucket. He just called for Jason and began whipping him with a belt. He said something about making his life worse unless he told him your secrets. Slightly didn’t even fight or try to get away, he just laid there and let Hook hit him. We stopped him, though. Tootles hit Hook with the bucket. I – I didn’t want to make it worse for Slightly by getting Hook madder, so I pretended like we didn’t care and came back to tell you. Slightly’s given up… he can’t escape because all the creatures in Neverland attack him if he tries to get to shore. So he just lets Hook hurt him.”

Peter’s face was stone, but inside he quaked with fury. Memories flashed – memories of a little boy named Jason being beaten and worse by a man; a woman covered in blood; a canvas sack sinking in a river, a small shape fighting to get out. “No,” he said softly. “I don’t care if Slightly really joined Hook or not, I’m not going to let any grown-ups hurt him ever again… I promised him that. Never again! Hook has no right to lay a hand on him.”

Suddenly Peter frowned as he thought of the last think Nibs had said. “Tink, why is everyone attacking Slightly? I didn’t tell anyone to do that.”

“I didn’t know either, Peter,” Tink said slowly, upset at that information herself. “But you and Neverland are connected. You were angry and hurt, and Neverland felt it. I suppose they took it out on the person who made you feel that way. Maybe they felt that if they kept Slightly away, then you wouldn’t feel like that anymore.”

“Well, make sure everyone knows that Slightly goes wherever he wants. And anyone who hurts him will answer to me.” Peter stood quickly and looked around. “I’m taking Slightly away from Hook, tonight when the pirates are all asleep. He can live with us again, or with the Indians – we’ll see. Nibs, Curly, get ready. You’re my strongest fliers, so you’re with me. This is a rescue, not a raid, and we need to be quiet. I’ll reckon with Hook once Slightly is safe.”

Billy shivered and pulled the blanket around himself tighter. I don’t care what Hook says, I’m putting him a hammock up with us. This is ridiculous! How does he get any sleep? Billy lay in Slightly’s “room” on the boy’s pallet. It was in the bowels of the ship, the hull comprising one wall. It was cold, refrigerated by the seawater against the hull. It was small and dank, and the bedding consisted of a few ratty blankets and some old half-rotten nets.

Billy had been in here before, but not since Slightly had moved in. The crew, especially Billy, were not allowed to fraternize with Slightly off duty, to further motivate the “border” to betray Pan and join the crew. If he’d told me what he’d scrounged up for a bed, I’d have given him my own hammock and slept on the table. Billy sighed, and rolled over, trying to find a position that wasn’t painful. I should have asked him. I’ve tried to watch out for him, but Hook keeps us so far apart it’s difficult to know what’s going on with him.

Billy froze when he heard a scraping at the door. There was a squeal of the hinges and soft footfalls. It was pitch black down here, so Billy used his ears to guess that more than one person had just walked in.

“Tink, a little light. We need to check this room too,” came the whispered voice of Pan.

Billy narrowed his eyes and covered his head, peeking out of the blanket as a dim glow revealed Pan, Nibs, and Curly standing in the doorway. Tinker Bell was in a small pouch Pan carried, and he had opened it enough to see what was in the room.

Why can you just leave him alone? You torment him all night, too? Anger filled Billy and he readied himself. If I give Pan to Hook, he’ll give Slightly to me… and he won’t have any reason to hurt my friend any more.

“Slightly?” Peter whispered when he saw the blanket covered lump. He motioned for the other two to stay out of the cramped room, then walked to the boy on the floor. He sat by the pallet and put his hand on the lump. “Slightly, wake up. It’s Peter. I’ve…”

Suddenly, a sharp pain filled his head when the boy jumped up and punched him. Peter fell over, dazed, and felt a knife pressed against his throat. “Slightly?” he breathed in shock.

Billy held Pan close to his chest and pressed the dagger, just breaking the skin of the boy’s neck. He felt a bit of disbelief at how easy that had just been – stunning Pan and drawing the brat’s own dagger. He winced a bit as Tinker Bell flew out of the pouch on the floor, blinding everyone with the sudden light.

“PAN!” Billy screamed. “PETER PAN DOWN HERE! TWO LOST BOYS AND THE PIXIE! PAN’S HERE!” He felt Peter tense up, and he tightened his hold. “Don’t move, cully,” he growled. “I’d love to kill ya myself for everything you’ve done to Slightly. But Hook would beat me for robbing him of the pleasure… might be worth it though, if it gives Slightly some peace in his life.”

Peter forced himself to relax a bit as the knife dug painfully into his neck. “RUN!” he shouted to the two boys. “Tink, FLY!”

Tinker Bell hesitated a moment, then brightened her glow ten-fold, blinding the humans in the room. She zoomed towards Jukes and tossed a handful of dust in his face.

“Shit!” Billy exclaimed as he breathed in the stuff. He felt the sneeze build and fought it, but to no avail. As he sneezed, he felt Pan twist out of his grip. “NO!” Billy yelled and lunged forward blindly with the knife. The blade connected and sank into flesh, and Billy heard a scream, followed by a thud as a body hit the floor.

“Peter!” Tink cried, dimming her light as she blanched in fear. She flew down to the boy in panic.

Billy opened his eyes as the light dimmed, and gasped in shock when he saw Pan lying on his back with the dagger in his abdomen. There was a commotion in the corridor, and Smee and Starkey were at the door.

“We got the other two – by Davy Jones,” Starkey gasped when he saw Peter Pan on the floor.

“Mr. Smee, check on him,” Billy snapped, flushed with anxiety. Don’t let him die till the Cap’n gets here! “Mr. Starkey, go get the Cap’n, quick!”

Peter stared at the ceiling, in too much shock to move. “It hurts, Tink,” he breathed. The blade was like molten fire in his belly. He saw Mr. Smee over him, and Mr. Jukes too. “You stabbed me,” he moaned, “Please, take it out.”

Smee shook his head, “Not yet, lad. It might make ya bleed worse. Wait fer th’ Cap’n.”

Hook! Peter thought in panic. He didn’t stand a chance now. He was going to die, and Hook still had Slightly. Then he saw the looming face of Captain Hook staring down at him with a smile. No, it’s not fair. I’m supposed to win.

“I sincerely hope he isn’t dying, Mr. Jukes,” the man said as he cut open Peter’s shirt and helped Smee make a quick exam.

“It was an accident, Cap’n,” Billy said softly.

Peter moaned as he was jostled by the hurried, fumbling hands. “Please, take it out,” he cried, “It hurts.”

Finished with the check, Hook patted Peter on the shoulder. “Alright, boy,” he answered. He took a handful of rags from Starkey and laid them to the side. “Hold on, this my sting a bit.” Hook yanked the dagger out and began pressing on the wound. “See? That wasn’t so bad,” he chided mockingly, looking back at Peter’s face. The boy’s eyes were closed, but by the gentle rise and fall of the boy’s chest, Hook knew Pan had only fainted.

End Chapter 10