The lost Boys, minus Nibs, were crowded round the long table under the earth,
                      spinning the umbrella on its end and devising a plan on how to attack the
                      pirates for their Lost Brother’s return. They didn’t know for sure that Nibs was
                      in their hands, but after combing the island it seemed the most obvious answer.
                      Peter was perched on the end of the table, his feet hanging an inch or two off
                      the floor.
                      “Well, I’m all out of ideas. What about you boys?”
                      “Nope.” Sighed Curly.
                      “We gave you…”
                      “…All ours.”
                      Tinkerbell fluttered out of her boudoir and addressed them all.
                      “I’m going away for a while. You’re all too much trouble for me and I need a
                      refresher. If you need pixie dust, there are a couple of bags of it under my bed.
                      G’bye!”
                      “Wait!” Peter jumped off the table. “You can’t just leave us! We need your
                      help!”
                      “If you need me desperately, send a pigeon…” These were Tink’s last words as
                      she flittered away.
                      “Don’t worry, Peter,” Noted Slightly. “She hasn’t been around slightly that much
                      recently anyway. Not over the past few days.”
                      “You’re right. And like she said, there are the Neverpigeons…so how do we
                      rescue Nibs? The plans all seem wrong in places.”
                      “Maybe we could take the good bits out of all of them and stick it together.”
                      “I’ll get the glue.” Tootles jumped down from the table and ran to the
                      cubbyhole, while the others looked after him, shaking their heads in despair.
                      Almost immediately after, a huge crash rumbled through the earth, sending
                      showers of dust down on them and roots shuddering from their foundations in
                      the roof. The lantern on the table was thrown to the floor in the shock of the
                      impact and it exploded in a mass of spitting oil and fire. The Boys screamed and
                      ran for the steps, scrambling over each other in their frantic race to get out of
                      the home, which was filling rapidly with smoke. Peter stayed at the back with
                      Riio and ushered them clear of the danger and registered them all above
                      ground.
                      “Fire in the hole!” called Riio, as the flames licked and leapt through the
                      underground hideaway. The Lost Boys scattered to various intervals along a
                      convenient stream and filled their animal skins with water. Throwing it down the
                      steps and down the chimney, they carried on like this for what seemed like a
                      lifetime, until finally steam issued forth, and Peter breathed a sigh of relief,
                      echoed by the rest of them.
                      When they when back below stairs, the damage wasn’t quite as bad as they
                      had expected. There was a blackened wreck where the table stood, now on two
                      burnt stumps, and a trail of ash where the spray of oil had fallen, leading the
                      flames along the ground. The place stank where the heat had gnawed and
                      dissolved the bottom edge of the hanging bear, creating a stench of burnt,
                      dried skin and singed hair.

                      “It’s slightly a mess.”
                      Peter nodded gravely. “Bastard pirates.” The other Boys gasped at the
                      language he was using, but Peter was in no mood for thinking before he spoke.
                      Tootles padded around in the ash until Curly yanked him out by his collar.
                      “It’s all black and dusty and it stinks like that time The Twins set Nibs’ hair on
                      fire.”
                      They all went quiet at the mention of their lost one. Peter studied the mess,
                      wondering how on earth he could fix it back to what it had been before. He
                      went through the list of replacements in anguish – his wonderful hiding place,
                      almost burnt to a crisp; years of development and additions gone in a matter of
                      minutes…
                      “Maybe we could make it a game?” Said Slightly hopefully. Curly shook his head.
                      “Games are fun, and I don’t feel like laughing.”
                      “It would be like redecorating – a whole new start!” suggested Riio.
                      “No. That sounds like a job…”
                      “…And jobs aren’t fun unless they make you laugh.”
                      “Then what we NEED is a laugh.” She said desperately. “Babies are born every
                      second – there ought to be one somewhere.”
                      “If you can find one,” sighed Peter, “You’re amazingly lucky. They’re hard to find
                      and even harder to catch. When we needed one for Wendy we were just
                      fortunate it was passing.”
                      “I’ll manage.” Promised Riio, and set off into the forest.

                      ***

                      Billy slunk around the back of the cabin, praying that the pain in his ribs and
                      stomach wouldn’t increase at this moment – the worst possible moment in time
                      for it to do so. He could hear the other pirates laughing, and bit down on his lip
                      in anguish as he heard for a split second Mullins amongst the various voices.
                      Jukes lowered himself over the edge of the ship’s side, and dropped with as
                      little splash as possible into the sea. Then he dipped below the surface and
                      swam, fishlike, towards the land. He bobbed up momentarily to see how far he
                      had to go, and froze as he heard a shout from the pirates behind him. Jukes
                      turned, thinking he had been spotted, but realised it had been Hook laughing at
                      Nibs as Smee brandished a blade and inch before the terrified boy’s face. He
                      ducked again and swam for his friends and his life, ignoring the agony searing
                      through him as best as he could.

                      ***

                      Riio pushed through the brambles that clawed at her legs and snatched at her
                      flared trousers.
                      I’m stupid, she thought. I don’t even know where to start looking for a laugh.
                      How do I know it’s going to be in the forest?
                      A noise stopped her, and Riio listened to the thrashing in the trees around her,
                      trying to determine where it was coming from. A familiar voice swore, and there
                      was the sound of ripping material.
                      I know that voice, Riio thought. Who…
                      As if in answer to her question, Billy fell through some large purple leaves into a
                      patch of thorns, and let out an aspirated growl as blood beaded along the thin
                      scratches on his hands and knees. Jukes looked up.
                      “Riio?” He gazed in disbelief.
                      “What the hell are you doing in this neck of the woods? You aren’t even
                      supposed to BE in the woods!”
                      “I came to see if you and Slightly were…” He blushed. “You and the Boys were
                      ok.”
                      “It’s ok – I know you only get on with Slightly – these things get back to the
                      real world; as stories.”
                      “Oh.” He thought for a second. “What are you doing all this way in here,
                      missy?”
                      “I’m looking for a laugh.” Immediately she thought how silly she must sound.
                      Billy didn’t seem at all fazed. In fact, he seemed more bothered about how silly
                      he looked – still being in the thorn patch and all. He got up hurriedly, and held
                      out his hand to her. “Best get looking for that laugh then. What do you need it
                      for?”
                      Riio explained how the home had been wrecked, and how the Boys couldn’t
                      work unless it seemed like play. Billy felt guilty, and told her what had
                      happened, facing her solemnly.
                      “Please don’t hate me. I didn’t mean to hit anyone…”
                      “I don’t hate you, Billy. I know what Hook is like. He hates Peter and will do
                      anything to get rid of him. We all know that.”
                      Billy hugged her gratefully, and they stared blankly at each other for a moment,
                      not knowing what to say next. The silence was broken by a squeal and the
                      sound of something falling through a tall tree and hitting every branch on the
                      way down. Eventually there was a soft thump and a child’s voice said “oof”.
                      Orange and green speckled leaves fluttered away from a tree a few meters
                      away, and the pair looked at each other, baffled.
                      “Come on, maybe we can help whatever that was – they might help us!”
                      Riio allowed herself to be led to the tree by Billy, where they stopped in
                      astonishment at the sight that beheld them.
                      A little girl, no bigger than a small eleven year old, was sitting up at the base of
                      the tree, rubbing her legs that were covered, like the rest of her, in leaves and
                      dirt. She shook her blonde head free of twigs and stared indignantly skywards
                      with blue, innocent eyes. It was possible to say that the child was the picture of
                      innocence. She was dressed in a thin, cotton dress with no shape to it, which
                      hung off her with the air of something that could never be grown into. She
                      stood up, still not noticing the pair watching her, and turned around to inspect
                      a pair of huge white feathered wings mounted on her back. She sniffed when
                      she saw that the right one was bent slightly at the tip, and jumped with great
                      effort, obviously trying to take off but knowing she couldn’t. The girl stamped
                      her foot childishly.
                      “Silly Neverbirds!” She folded her arms crossly and stuck her tongue out at no
                      one. Billy shifted his weight from one foot to the other and surprisingly, she
                      spotted the movement and fixed her eyes on the two of them.
                      “Oh – who are you?” She giggled suddenly in an almost frightened way, but it
                      was the most beautiful sound – as if all the children in the world had laughed
                      out loud at the same time and every single sound had been balled up into one
                      little giggle.
                      “Erm…we’re…I’m Riio, and this is Billy.”
                      The little girl curtseyed like a child brought up well to respect her elders, and
                      then smiled – the expression spread across the whole of her baby-like skin, her
                      eyes lighting up and all her little teeth grinning.
                      “My name is Youth. Nice to meet you, Riio and Billy.”
                      “Err, nice to meet you too.”
                      “I’ve hurt my wing.” Youth’s face fell. “I can’t fly. Can you help me?”
                      Billy pondered. “I know how to strap arms – they can’t be too different to
                      wings…”
                      Youth’s face lit up again. “Oh – could you? Please?”
                      Riio smiled at her with the smile she saved for little siblings and the Lost Boys.
                      “Of course, darling. You can meet the other boys.”
                      Youth held up her arms as a child would to a Mother, and Riio picked her up,
                      heading back the way she had came, Billy by her side.
                      “What are you?” They asked, when they had got out of the worst of the
                      thorns. Youth considered this, and then decided.
                      “I don’t know. I’ve been told I’m Pretty – am I a Pretty, Riio?”
                      “Of course,” Smiled Riio. “But you must be something else as well.”
                      “Like what?”
                      “Well, I’m a girl, and Billy is a boy. You definitely aren’t a boy…”
                      “Unless you’re a very unfortunate one.” Sniggered Billy.”
                      “Don’t confuse her,” She giggled back. “Anyway – you look a lot like a little girl –
                      only with wings. People might think you’re an angel.”
                      “Oh no,” Declared Youth. “I know all about angels – and I’m definitely not one of
                      them.” She giggled again and they found themselves imitating her – like an
                      infectious piece of music. A shout sounded across the grass and they saw the
                      Boys waving at them.
                      “Who are they?”
                      “The Lost Boys.”
                      “Oh. Can I help find them then?”
                      “Hehehe… you’ll get on well with Tootles!”
                      Suddenly Billy stopped, and Riio saw Peter a few feet in front, facing them.
                      “What’s HE doing here?” Peter demanded.
                      “I came to see if you were alright.” Snapped Billy. “Though I can see I’ve wasted
                      my efforts.” He turned to leave.
                      “Wait.” Peter put a hand on his shoulder. “We might need your help.”
                      “Why should I help you?”
                      “’Cos I’ll gut you for all you’re worth if you don’t…” Snarled Peter viciously. “This
                      makes you our captive. We can fly faster than you could ever run, so don’t
                      even try it.”
                      Billy stood his ground. “A pirate never says die, Peter Pan – you won’t catch me
                      running from a bunch of boys with no home.” The last line cut deeper than
                      anything any of the Boys had heard before; they all sucked in their breath and
                      Billy felt nearly a dozen pairs a forlorn eyes watching him, including Peter’s and
                      Riio’s. He felt guilty and he didn’t try and hide the look from his face. He looked
                      at Slightly for a bit of support, and the other boy showed some through a brief
                      smile, but Billy could see the hurt in his eyes – the look of a child that had lost
                      its mother. For good.
                      Billy thought for a moment. How could he have said that? He, for one, had
                      some form of family – he had parent figures. This group was a family, but only
                      one of siblings – They must have changed mothers more times than he had
                      changed ships.
                      “I’m sorry,” he muttered.
                      Youth giggled once more and all of them stared at her.
                      “You all look so silly!” She chortled, slipping from Riio’s arms and rolling on the
                      ground. “He’s angry at him…and they all have a silly look on their faces…” She
                      sniggered again, and the Boys truly found themselves laughing along with her.
                      “Look, Billy – if you don’t tell Hook that we actually worked together on
                      something, I’ll pay you back somehow…”
                      Billy took a step back. “How?”
                      “I dunno – I’ll think of something. Or you think of something.”
                      Billy hesitated, but Riio nudged him. “Ok.” He agreed finally.
                      “Great! Grab something – anything, I don’t care what it is – and bring it down.
                      Come on, Boys!”
                      Slightly punched Billy playfully in the back on his way past, and they grinned at
                      each other, despite Billy nearly collapsing with the pain. He realised he hadn’t
                      told Riio about his little incident the night before. He decided not to worry her.
                      After having her wind bound up, Youth skipped around getting in everyone’s
                      way – particularly Curly, who she seemed to have taken a liking to.
                      “Curly’s got a girlfriend!” Squealed Tootles, and Curly leapt on him.
                      “I do not!”
                      Suddenly he stopped and stood up.
                      “If I storm off what’ll happen to me Peter? Will I go missing like Nibs?” They all
                      went quiet, and Peter stood up slowly. He turned to Jukes, looking more solemn
                      than the Boys had ever seen him, but Riio had seen this look before.
                      “Jukes?”
                      Billy looked up, guilt written all over his face.
                      “Where’s Nibs?”
                      Billy looked at the floor for a few moments, then made the Romani religion
                      symbol across his chest, took a deep breath and jerked his thumb in the
                      direction of the pirate ship. Peter stood beside him, but didn’t look at him.
                      “You did the right thing Billy.” After waiting for a response which wasn’t
                      received, Peter sort of flicked a hand at Jukes’ shoulder, barely brushing it, but
                      it was enough to make Billy look up.
                      “You don’t have to go back there, you know. You don’t have to go back to
                      Hook.”
                      Billy opened his mouth but no sound came out.
                      “If you don’t want to stay with us, you can always live in the forest…?” Billy
                      jumped up at these words.
                      “Why do you all think I want to get away from the Jolly Rodger? What gave you
                      the idea that I’m not happy there?” His voice cracked on the last two words,
                      and he saw the Lost Boys and their leaders staring at his waistline. Billy looked
                      down to see that his shirt had fallen open and was displaying vivid bruising to
                      his ribs and stomach. Pulling his shirt shut again he looked away, feeling tears
                      prick his eyes.

                      I’m not going to cry…

                      He sniffed and Riio automatically stepped forwards and put her arms around
                      him. Billy buried his face in her shoulder, and the Boys took this opportunity to
                      get up and leave. Peter moved away and sat on a tree stump, waiting for Billy’s
                      episode to pass.
                      It stayed a good while.