Peter sat in his chair and stared at the fire. The room was quiet, none of the boys were speaking – too worried and upset to say much. Wendy sat in her chair, trying to be strong, but everyone heard her sniffs and saw her wipe her eyes from time to time.

“I killed him,” Peter said finally, shattering the silence. He looked at the blood that had dried on his palm and began to cry.

Wendy couldn’t comfort him. She was too angry at Peter for the way he’d behaved, and upset at the others for not stepping in.

“No you didn’t, Peter,” Tink said when she saw no one was going to say anything. “It was an accident. You tried to help him.”

“He should be here right now!” Peter sobbed, “He should be on that bed with a bandage and telling the story about how Hook wounded him! But he’s not! He’s either drowned or bled to death!”

Michael and Tootles began crying loudly, and Wendy finally looked up. “Yes he should be! But that doesn’t mean he’s dead.”

“If he’s not dead,” Peter reminded her, “then he’s out there, alone and hurt. And he thinks we don’t want him, so he won’t come here for help. He’s bleeding and the croc might smell him. We should be looking for him!”

“It’s too dark and there’s no moon, Peter,” Nibs reminded him. “There’s no way for us to see him. We need to go to bed, so we can get up early and start looking again. Chief Panther is sending his people to help us look, and they’re the best trackers.”

“Nibs is right,” Wendy said, her eyes flashing. “Everyone needs to go to sleep; it’s past your bedtime. We’ll help Slightly best if we’re rested tomorrow. Peter, wash your hands.” Most of the boys didn’t want to listen, but Wendy and Nibs chided and scolded them until they gave in and lay down. Peter wouldn’t be moved, though, so Tink dusted all the boys, using her magic to make them sleep. At the girl’s request, she did the same for Wendy, and all the children slept peacefully through the night.

The next morning, Peter floated over Kid’s Creek, clutching Slightly’s cap in his hand as he stared at the boulder. Wendy and the other Lost Boys hovered around him and stared, too. There was blood on the rock, and more obviously, there was a child-sized bloody handprint on the stone.

“He went over the falls,” Nibs whispered, looking at the high drop in concern.

“Can anyone live through that?” Curly asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” Peter answered. He looked down at the hat in his hands. They had found it snagged in some boulders at the food of the falls, and they had hoped that Slightly had merely lost it before he climbed out of the water. But this sign showed that Slightly had gone over, and that he had still been bleeding.

“Peter!” came Tiger Lily’s voice from the bank. The children flew to where she and two scouts stood. “Pirates,” she said, pointing to the footprints on the ground. “They stood here. One, Captain Hook I’m sure, went up the bank and entered the water. He came out here, and they all left. Back to the ship it seems. Perhaps they have Slightly.”

“Why would Hook rescue Slightly?” Peter mused. He hoped that the pirates had, else Slightly could still be out there, somewhere. If he was with the pirates, then he might still be alive. Is he a prisoner? Or is he there willingly? Peter shook his head. Of course he was a prisoner! There’d been enough trouble from those thoughts already. “Nibs, John, come with me. We’re going to the ship to scout and see if Slightly’s there. The rest of you, keep looking downstream. Maybe Slightly got away and is still out here.”

Everyone nodded and split into their search groups.

“I don’t want to go in there,” Slightly whispered to Billy. He was leaning on the gunner, still too weak to be steady. They were on their way to Hook’s cabin, Slightly having been summoned to speak to the man. But he was still distrustful and fearful of the Captain, and dreaded to find out what Hook wanted.

Billy patted him on the back, “You can still leave.”

“I can barely walk right now,” Slightly replied, “I won’t make it on my own.” They continued on and knocked on the door. At Hook’s call, they entered the cabin.

Hook watched the two boys tentatively enter. The boy Slightly looked as if he would bolt if he could, and he leaned on Jukes for more support than Hook thought was good.

“Mr. Jukes, you should have told me that Mr. Slightly was this weak and I wouldn’t have had you bring him to me for another day.” He pulled a chair up and directed Slightly to sit. “But you’re here, so we’ll continue.” He casually sat at his desk and offered the boys some tea. Billy knew better than to accept and Slightly took his cue from the other boy. “Jukes tells me you’ve decided to stay for now. That’s fine with me, but we have to make some rules clear.”

“What kind of rules?” Slightly asked nervously. Billy poked him painfully in the arm and he added, “Captain, sir.”

Hook smiled, “I see you’ve learned rule number one. Mr. Jukes will teach you the rest. But there are some that I wish to make clear now, and it will be up to you to decide if you’ll follow them or leave my ship.

“While you recover, you are a guest and will be treated as such. When I’ve given you a clean bill of health, you’ll be considered a boarder – you’ll earn your keep by doing chores, but you won’t be a crewman. Whenever you wish to leave, I’ll have you rowed ashore.” He stared at Slightly until the boy nodded.

“If any of the crew harasses you or gives you grief, report them to me and I will deal with them. They won’t cause you further trouble.

“You may take your meals with the crew. I may occasionally invite you to join me. Since you will be a boarder, you will be given your own room, though it will be a little small.

“The only areas of the ship you will have access to will be your cabin, the kitchen, the head, and the decks. Any other place is off limits unless I’ve given you a chore in that cabin. The first time you trespass, you will be warned. After that, you will be punished.

“Any other rules will be laid out in a lease I will draw up, and you will sign. So think about it while you heal and decide.”

“Boarding has better benefits than crewing,” Billy muttered.

“Ah, but the duty will be harder,” Hook laughed, “and he won’t get a crewman’s rights: fair trial, shares of spoils, for starters.”

“It slightly sounds fair,” Slightly said softly. “And I can leave whenever I want?”

Hook nodded, “Whenever you wish.” He smiled to himself as he looked out the window behind the boys and saw Pan and a few Lost Boys fly away soundlessly. He’d heard them outside just after Slightly and Jukes came in, and he’d allowed them to hear the parts of the deal he knew they would consider treasonous. Now that they’re gone…

“Now here’s a sticking point, which you will absolutely abide by, both while recovering and if you choose to stay,” Hook continued. “If you see Peter Pan or your former friends, you will give the alarm. I know you have no desire to betray them,” Hook leaned forward, “but if you don’t give the call, you will be flogged and put ashore. If I capture Pan or a Lost Boy and you are caught giving them aid, I will consider you a spy. You will be flogged and imprisoned – possibly hanged. I told you I no longer count you as an enemy, since Pan has disowned you, but if you ally yourself with them again, you will make us enemies once more. Understand?”

Slightly stared at Hook and he was very pale. “I won’t stand by and let you hurt my friends…”

“They aren’t your friends anymore,” Billy interrupted.

“Even if they hated me, I’d still love them,” Slightly insisted. “I’m slightly sorry, Captain, but I won’t do it. Take me ashore, I’ll find a way to survive on my own… Peter did it before we came.”

Easy now. I knew he’d have a hard time with that one; I didn’t expect him to still love them, Hook thought as he smiled. “Very well, I will take you ashore when you’re well. Since you won’t agree to that rule, you will have to convalesce in the brig. But you’ll be well treated, and Mr. Jukes will attend you.”

“You won’t take me ashore now?”

“I told you before, I risked my life to save you. I won’t have you being eaten by an animal because you’re too hurt to defend yourself. Stay here and get well,” Hook soothed the boy. He was willing to gamble that Slightly would change his mind the next time he crossed Pan, and would come back for sanctuary.

“Alright, Captain. Thank you,” Slightly said. I’ve gotta get out of here, he’s going to try to trick me into something. He stood up to leave, and the room turned to grey. I’m dizzy, he mused as he fainted. Billy barely caught him before he hit the floor.

“Cap’n!” Billy gasped as he clutched his friend’s limp body.

Hook took Slightly from the boy and carried him back to the brig. He put the child in the bunk and covered him up. He smiled when he saw Billy’s worried expression, “I shouldn’t have summoned him so soon. He’s still weak – his ordeal was only yesterday. But I wanted to speak with him while the hurt was still fresh in his memory. Don’t let him do more than sit up for a few days. He needs to get his strength back and he shouldn’t stress his wound. The bruises will fade and he’ll be much better in a week.”

Billy nodded and was about to follow Hook out of the brig, when Slightly opened his eyes.

“Billy?” he called softly.

“Yeah, cully?” the gunner stepped to the boy’s side.

“Don’t leave me alone,” Slightly begged, tears leaking from his eyes.

“I’m here for ya, Slightly,” Billy answered. “You need to sleep.” Billy frowned for a moment and nodded, “I’ll bring you some food and something to help you sleep, okay?”

End Chapter 4