Friends Apart

Chapter 7

Wendy sized up everything she'd piled up in her friend's hand before deciding she was done packing. It wasn't like she was going to need any food now... she could live off whatever Peter came home with just fine. So she could leave the stale crackers - all her family had at the time for food - behind. Though she didn't like the dependency it forced on her, it was far better than trying to start over here... living alone, or with a family she didn't know too well. Still avoiding humans as much as she could. At least this way, she'd have her friend with her, and out of all the people that had been in her life, she'd always depended on Peter the most when they were together. Not to mention the fact that her friend was a human, and a very big one at that. Couldn't hurt to have someone with size on your side in a big and scary world. Even just seeing how huge Peter's hand was - just his hand! - in the remains of Wendy's home took her breath away. Everything she had known for so many years was dwarfed by it's presence, and it all seemed so much smaller now. The thought of actually having someone like that she could rely on was completely foreign to her. She brushed the remaining dust off her hands. "There, that should be enough." She used Peter's thumb to pull herself onto her friend’s palm. The added weight didn't faze Peter at all, as the hand lifted quickly away from the ground. The huge fingers cupped protectively around Wendy and her possessions. Wendy held her breath as the hand drew close to Peter's face, intensely sharp eyes examining everything Wendy had tossed on. Being held there like that made her feel like she was sitting under a magnifying glass. It was incredibly nerve-wracking. She clung to the thought that it was just Peter, and her friend would never dream of ever hurting her. Peter's brow furrowed at her after a moment. "There's one thing you forgot." Wendy squinted up at him, briefly confused. She couldn't think of anything else she could have grabbed, and she knew her home inside out. "What do you mean?” Wendy watched, slightly awed as Peter reached into the dollhouse, easily scooping up the bed, which had survived the damage without being broken. Covers, pillows and all came easily. "I can't imagine you'll be comfortable using a hard surface for a bed. And anything I could come up with wouldn't be the same as having your own bed." Wendy smiled gratefully. "Thank you." Watching Peter pick it up reminded her exactly how small she was now... her bed wasn't even remotely heavy to Peter. It hadn't occurred to her while she was packing, but it would make things a lot easier. Sleeping on scraps of cloth or a giant bed wouldn't be anywhere near as comfortable as her own bed. Everything was surely happening too fast for her to be able to think it all through clearly. Peter hauled himself to his feet without warning, standing to his full height. Wendy was just along for the ride. She quickly grabbed onto the fingers near her to avoid tumbling off the hand. It happened so fast her head spun from the vertigo. Her bed disappeared into the side pocket of Peter's pants, barely even showing as a lump against his body. Wendy swallowed nervously at the sight. If only she could be normal 
again. But no. This was her life now. This was normal for her. She swallowed again. Before Peter went any farther, Wendy called up to him, practicality taking over. "Before we go, is there any way you could... cover up the passageway? So no one else who comes can see it?" Realization dawned in Peter's eyes. "Yeah, of course." He took everything big laying around the room’s interior and placed them back where they were, blocking the tiny passageway from sight. Wendy nodded to herself, glad it was covered up. She didn't want to put any of the other families that lived there in danger. As Peter started cleaning up the smaller things, something caught Wendy's eye, "Peter is that yours?" Peter gazed over where she was pointing, spying a  small, dark bag. "No, that isn't mine."
Peter went over cautiously. Wendy swallowed nervously as Peter approached. She was startled from her thoughts when Peter reached up for her. Taking the hint, (and very, very glad Peter didn't just grab her) Wendy stepped on the offered palm, finding herself quickly lowered down to her old bed. Peter seemed to sense her questions. "You've been through enough already. If anything happens with this, it's going to happen to me." All Wendy could do was watch as Peter cautiously picked up the bag, hefting it carefully when nothing apparent happened. He shared a worried glance with Wendy. Past the stubbornly brave exterior, Wendy could see he was nervous. Slowly as he could, Peter untied the thick leather strap wrapped around the bag's opening. Wendy was too low on the bed to see what he poured out of it, but she did see Peter's face turn white. "Peter? What is it?" Wendy marched closer to her towering friend, trying not to slip and fall on the bouncy bed. She wished Peter hadn't put her down so far away. Noticing her struggle, Peter sat down next to her on the bed, his weight tipping the ground beneath Wendy into a steep incline. Wendy barely caught her balance before she tumbled, bracing herself against Peter's thigh. Peter lowered his hand so Wendy could see what he was holding. A little girl was stretched out in the hand, carefully cushioned between the creases in Peter's skin. Wendy felt her heart drop at how tiny the girl seemed, laying there like that. She couldn't be any longer than one, maybe one and a half inches. Close to the same size Wendy had been all those years ago. So fragile compared to just the hand supporting her. Wendy fearlessly jumped up onto the huge hand, bending down next to the small girl. Brushing her hair out of the way, Wendy gently checked for a pulse. It was faint, but still going steady. "I think she's in a coma," Wendy called up. "Like how I was when I was first shrunk." The bed dropped away from them as the hand lifted up higher. Peter carefully rotated the hand, taking in every detail. "But she's ok? Not hurt at all?" Worry painted his face from top to bottom. "Hmm." Ignoring the hovering giant, Wendy went through the basics she'd learned as a child, checking for contusions, broken bones, anything obvious. The child was breathing steadily. Nothing Wendy did would wake her up though. She sat back at last with a sigh, leaning against the thumb behind her. "Yeah, aside from being knocked out, she's fine. Looks like whoever did this didn't hurt her at all." Wendy realized that the child couldn't be returned to her family, since Peter didn't know any family with a little girl. She sighed as she went to one choice. "I know someone who can look after her."...Wendy carried the girl up to a quiet doorstep, it was another family she knew quite well. Carefully lying the child down she straightened her hair. "Don't worry, little one. These are good people, they will look after you." Wendy tucked a note into the small fabric blanket wrapped around the little girl, before she knocked on the door and ran away. She could see the family crowd around the girl, before taking her in... Peter had sat outside a different passageway, waiting for Wendy. He saw her emerge a few moments later, her arms empty. "Will she be okay?" Peter asked as he scooped up Wendy and tucked her into his pocket. Wendy nodded, "The family I left her with are good people. She'll be alright..." Wendy had slowly started to nod off. Peter glanced up at the sunset, it was almost time to go. You get some sleep, Wendy, I'll wake you up when we get to Neverland." Peter then felt Wendy's body go limp as sleep overcame her. He then gathered most of the things he brought with him. Before sprinkling Pixie dust on himself, and flying back to his home.