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Chapter 2: Sprites in Neverland

The first thing the Mainframers saw when they flew through the portal was the lush jungle of Neverland. Exiting the cave, they caught sight of the beaches forming a sandy ring around the rest of the island. There were coves and patches of meadow, as well as mountains, like the cliffside that they emerged from.

"It's...amazing!" AndrAIa was the first to speak.

"And beautiful!" Dot agreed.

"Alphanumeric!" Enzo exclaimed. He pointed toward a cove shielded by a huge, hook-shaped rock formation. "Is that a pirate ship down there?"

"Yep!" Peter grinned, pleased that his home was inspiring such admiration in his visitors. "But be careful. Captain Hook is as crooked as his hook."

"We've got pirates in Mainframe," Enzo answered, "and they're not bad." Enzo was referring to Captain Capacitor and the crew of the Saucy Mare.

"Well, these pirates are very bad," Peter told them. "And Hook especially hates me because I...uh...cut off his hand."

"You did?" Enzo's eyes went wide.

"Yeah," Peter replied. He had his hands behind his back, and seemed to toe the air, as if reluctant to admit he had done something. "Very long story, I'm afraid. At the time, I thought that Hook had killed a couple of my friends, and I got quite upset. I through stuff at him, then grabbed his sword and started swinging. Next thing I knew, Hook was screaming. I looked, and saw that Hook was missing his hand. I found it, and through it to a crocodile. Now, the Croc chases after him to get the rest of him. He has a warning, though. The Croc has a clock in her that ticks. When anyone hears the clock, we know it's the Croc, and we get to safety."

The brown-haired boy looked so --well, innocent, as if recounting something that had happened to him a school that day. If this boy ever did go to school. To the Mainframers, Peter seemed a bit wild, a little feral.

They did not have time to comment, as a group of children flew up to where they were. Two girls, and the rest were boys. The two girls --one dressed like Peter, the other in a pink dress-- flew to hover next to the boy, while the boys formed a circle around them, probably as a protective measure.

"Who have you brought to Neverland this time, Peter?" the girl in pink asked.

"These are my friends from a place called, 'Mainframe', Wendy," the boy answered. He made quick introductions, helped along by Bob or Dot whenever he forgot a Mainframer's name.

"We were wondering where you went, Peter?" Nibs said. "We were getting worried."

"Worried?" Peter grinned. "About me?"

"You know that if anything happens to you, Neverland fades away!" Tinkerbell scolded him. "Or did you forget --/again/?"

"You know me and memory, Tink," Peter smiled.

"'Memory like a sieve'," Tink rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know."

"Why don't we have lunch together?" Wendy suggested. "You take them somewhere, and I'll join you with lunch."

"How will you know where we went?" Peter asked.

"Just send one of the boys to come tell me when you find a place."

"Okay," Peter agreed.

"A picnic sounds like fun," Andri smiled. She looked over to Enzo, who just smiled and blushed.

With a smile and a mid-air curtsy, Wendy flew to the underground house.

"Where are we going to have the picnic, Peter?" Michael asked.

"Hmmm...Not Kidd's Creek Bay," Peter thought aloud. "The pirates would never let us eat in piece. And not Mermaid Lagoon, either. You know how the mermaids react to Wendy. They'd do the same thing to Dot, AndrAIa, Andri, Mouse, and Hex."

"And the Indians are busy with one of their ceremonies today," Petra added. "They wouldn't have time for us right now."

"I know!" Peter cried excitedly. "The beach on Small Monday Island!"

"Sure!" Curly agreed with a grin. "Hook and the pirates rarely come there, and we should have a peaceful picnic on the beach."

"That sounds like a nice place," Dot said. She turned to the others, who smiled and nodded. The children knew their way around Neverland, and the Mainframers did not, so they would let Peter lead the way.

"Let's go, then!" Peter cried. "To Small Monday Island! Slightly, you go and tell Wendy were we went!"

"On my way, Peter!" Slightly saluted. "We'll be more than slightly on time." With that, the flaxen-haired boy in the bird hat flew off in the direction that Wendy took.

"Follow me!" Peter called out, racing ahead of everyone. The rest followed him, the Mainframers wondering what sort of place this "Small Monday Island" was.

~~*

"...and that's how games work in Mainframe," Bob was finishing up his explanation of game cubes and games.

"That's more than slightly different than how they work here," Slightly commented, taking a bite of the turkey that Wendy had packed.

"Yes," Bob agreed. "And yours are not as dangerous as ours." Bob bit into an apple. The Mainframers had quickly discovered that Neverland food was as easily digestible as the food they consumed in Mainframe. How, they did not know. Perhaps it was the magic of the island.

"You haven't seen the games Peter plays, have you?" Petra grinned.

"Hey!" her twin brother protested.

"I'd call playing 'tag' with Captain Hook and his crew 'dangerous'," Wendy reminded him.

"I'd call it 'exciting'," Peter grinned back at her.

As the Mainframers and the Neverlanders ate and talked, they failed to notice that they were being watched from a nearby clump of bushes. The self-same being that had followed them through the portal a few hours (milliseconds?) ago.

Who is this, and why has he (or she) followed our heroes from Mainframe?



Next: Chapter 3: Mystery Visitor. The mysterious person that's been following the Mainframers around is revealed. Will he be who everyone is thinking of, or someone else entirely?

Sorry if this chapter's so short. Didn't mean it to be.