Second To The Right, And Skate On Till Morning, 5/11
Title: Second To The Right, And Skate On Till Morning
Rating: G
Summary: Peter Pan AU. A day that begins with mermaids ends with disaster.
Disclaimer: I own neither skaters nor magical flying children, and anything that happens to them herein is entirely fictional.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Johnny was just putting the finishing touches on Bear’s new outfit when the sled burst into the home under the ground, bringing Mullet with it. “The lagoon melted!” Mullet said as he hauled out the spoils of his hunting trip. “Let’s go swimming!”
Yu-na looked over at him from where she was dueling with Evan under the watchful eye of Adam. “And meet the mermaids?” she squealed, then expertly parried Evan’s dagger.
“If they’re there,” said Mullet, blushing for no reason that Yu-na could see.
“They’ll be there!” said Googly. “One of them is his girlfriend!”
“Is not!” said Mullet.
“Is too!”
“She’s just a friend!”
“A friend with cooties!” Googly shot a glance at Yu-na. “Um, not that there’s anything wrong with cooties. I mean girls. I mean-”
“We know what you mean,” said Bear, as dryly as he could while getting rhinestones glued to his collar.
Yu-na rolled her eyes and returned her dagger to its sheath. “A swim sounds like a wonderful idea, even if the mermaids aren’t there. But won’t it be too cold?”
“The zamboni makes the cold,” said Adam, “so it disappears when the ice does.”
“How convenient!” said Yu-na. “All right, everyone get your swimsuits!”
The lost boys looked at her blankly. “Swimsuits?” asked Bug.
“What you wear when you go swimming,” said Yu-na.
“What we wear when we go swimming?” asked Bear.
“Surely you wear something,” said Yu-na, and trailed off when the lost boys and Adam shook their heads. “Well, I am not going to go skinny-dipping with a bunch of boys. Find something to wear or none of us will go.”
“I’ll help!” said Johnny. He glued one last rhinestone to Bear, then ran to the cubbyhole where he kept his materials. “I found these stretchy leaves yesterday…”
“Perfect!” said Yu-na. “We’ll use them.”
Ordinarily Adam didn’t allow the other boys to wear leaves, since that would make them look like him, but on this occasion he bowed to Yu-na’s demands. Some very quick sewing later, the entire human population of the kingdom was dressed in Johnny Orser-Wilson original swimsuits.
“It’s itchy,” said Evan.
Johnny blew a raspberry at him.
“Let’s go,” said Mullet. “They won’t wait forever!”
“Ooooh, so she’s waiting?” said Googly.
“Googly, no teasing,” said Yu-na. “And Mullet, no hitting.”
“I didn’t hit him!”
“You wanted to. Now come along, everyone!”
They decided to leave their skates behind and fly. Bear carried Blade with him, the Royal Nurse’s duties having been expanded to include Royal Lifeguard. Fairies rarely went swimming, but Jeremy still tagged along, chatting with Adam and helping Bug in his attempt to teach Johnny how to tinkle. Quatchi was nowhere in sight, Mullet having convinced Johnny that sasquatches don’t like water. The lagoon was close by, and soon the group heard the mermaids calling out to them.
Or rather to Adam.
“Adam!”
“It’s Adam!”
“Adam Rippon!”
“Over here, Adam!”
Adam laughed and landed on a rock, where he was promptly set upon by mermaids. Two lucky ones managed to get their hands in his hair. Jeremy tried to pry their fingers away, but Adam didn’t seem to mind. “Hello, girls. Did you miss me?”
“Oh, yes!” they chorused.
“That horrible ice!” said one, shuddering.
“Can’t you make the zamboni stay away?” asked another.
“Now girls, even I can’t do everything,” said Adam, and laughed again as the mermaids rushed to tell him it wasn’t true.
“Well,” said Yu-na, who had stopped with the others on another rock. “It looks like I won’t get to meet the mermaids after all.”
“Ah,” said Mullet sheepishly. “You can meet Yana.”
“Yana?” asked Yu-na.
Mullet pointed to the water, where a blond mermaid smiled and waved at them. “She’s my- we’re friends.”
Googly gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like “girlfriend,” but it turned into a real coughing fit when Yana glared up at him.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Yana,” said Yu-na. “I am Queen Yu-na.”
“Queen of what?” asked Yana.
“All of us!” said Googly proudly.
“Not of me,” said Yana.
“No, of course not!” said Yu-na. “Just the lost boys.”
“And us,” said Evan. “Are me and Johnny lost boys?”
“It’s ‘Johnny and I,’ and you are if you want to be. I’m sure you’d get lost if you tried to go home by yourself,” said Yu-na. She turned back to Yana. “Why aren’t you with Adam and the others?”
“Not all of us like curly hair,” said Yana with a grin. “Mullet’s is nicer.”
“I see,” said Yu-na as Mullet happily tossed his golden locks. She hesitated. “Please, Yana, may we swim with you?”
Yana shrugged. “It’s a free lagoon.”
Yu-na beamed and slipped into the water. “Come on in, boys!” she called.
“Cannonball!” yelled Johnny, and crashed into the water. Bug followed him, giggling. Bear, after a last word to Blade, executed a perfect dive off the rock. Googly did a belly flop, first making sure that Yu-na was watching. Mullet jumped in backwards and let Yana catch him.
Evan didn’t do anything fancy, but he was the one who bumped into a mermaid. “Sorry,” he mumbled, his face as red as the new mermaid’s hair.
“That’s all right,” said the mermaid. She looked at him curiously. “Who are you?”
“Evan,” said Evan. “I’m a lost boy!”
“Oh,” said the mermaid. “I’m Anna. A mermaid.”
“I knew that.”
“My name?”
“No, that you’re a…” Evan frowned as Anna snickered. “You’re making fun of me.”
“Just a little,” said Anna. She flicked her tail, sending droplets of water all over Evan’s head. “Swim with me?”
“I’m not very good at-”
Anna splashed him again. “Swim with me.”
“Okay,” Evan said meekly, and sputtered as Anna dragged him through the water.
Meanwhile, Yu-na had let Yana and Mullet go off together and was now swimming alone. There were more mermaids below the surface, and if she squinted, Yu-na thought she could make out a castle. She couldn’t swim deep enough or long enough to really see it, however, and it was with regret that she came up for air.
And it was with a shriek that she realized something was grabbing her ankle. She flailed around in the water, trying to shake the something off, until finally it rose to the surface, revealing a familiar face. “…Mao?” said Yu-na.
The Chieftain, wet hair plastered to her face, howled with laughter. “You should have seen yourself!”
“You scared me!”
“Sorry,” said Mao, her face still mirthful. “I had to get your attention.”
“You have it,” said Yu-na, trying and failing to cross her arms and tread water at the same time. “What do you want?”
“We’re having a feast later,” said Mao. “Would you and your army like to come?”
Yu-na’s anger melted away. “We’d love to! What time is it, and where?”
“Get lost in our forest at five o’clock. We’ll find you,” said Mao. With that, she dove down into the lagoon, and vanished before Yu-na could figure out which direction she’d gone in.
Something thumped into Yu-na’s back. “Ow! What-”
“Tag!” said Johnny. “You’re It!”
***
By five o’clock, Yu-na, the boys, Jeremy, Blade, and even Quatchi were dry, properly attired, and in the Indians’ forest. It had been difficult to wrench Adam away from the mermaids, but once freed, he’d admitted that they did sometimes get to be a little much for him. Mullet already had plans to meet Yana again the next day, assuming the zamboni stayed away. Evan talked on and on about Anna and the swimming tricks she’d taught him, and after the first three times he recounted their conversation, the others started reciting it along with him. Jeremy even imitated their voices, and while most of the group couldn’t tell the difference between that and his usual tinkling, Adam and Bug assured them that it was hilarious.
“She sounds lovely, Evan,” Yu-na said when her brother started to show signs of pouting. “You’ll have to introduce us next time.”
“I will! She’s so nice. Did I tell you-”
“Yes, you did,” said Bear. “You can stop telling us now.”
“Okay,” said Evan. “Sorry.”
“Do you think we’re lost enough yet?” asked Googly, looking around at the trees. “How will they find us if we’re lost, anyway? If we don’t know where we are, how can they know?”
Mao dropped from a tree and landed right in front of him, just as her warriors dropped down to form a circle around Yu-na and the boys. “We have our ways.”
“We also have blindfolds!” said Miki.
“Blindfolds?” asked Adam.
“We’re taking you someplace secret,” said Shizuka. “Hold still.”
“Aw, come on,” said Adam as the Indians blindfolded the lost boys, “we won’t tell anyone where it is!”
“You might if they torture you,” said Miki.
“They’d have to catch me first!”
“Adam, not everyone is as hard to catch as you are,” said Yu-na with as much dignity as she could muster with a blindfold on. “If we get blindfolded, you do too.”
“Oh, all right,” said Adam. “But what about Jeremy and Blade?”
“Put Jeremy in your pocket. Blade can stay as he is,” said Mao. She took hold of Yu-na’s hand. “Come on, everyone!”
Slowly, and with grumbles from some of the boys, Mao’s warriors led the Royal Army through the forest. “Are we there yet?” asked Yu-na after she caught her toe pick on a root for the second time.
“Almost,” said Mao. “Duck!”
Yu-na ducked, skated forward, and felt the ground change from ice to stone. Mao steadied her and untied her blindfold, then quickly led her farther away from the ice to allow the others room to come in. They were in a cave, rather smaller than the home under the ground, with cushions on the floor and a fire in one corner.
“You can leave your skates here,” said Mao, unlacing her own.
“Is this where you live?” asked Yu-na. She took off her skates and placed them next to Mao’s.
Mao shook her head. “We wouldn’t take you there even with the blindfolds. We can’t risk the pirates finding us.”
“Of course not,” said Yu-na. By this time, everyone was in the cave, and Miki and Daisuke replaced the brush that disguised the entrance.
“So what’s for dinner?” asked Googly. “I’m tired of Bear’s cooking.”
“You could cook,” said Bear.
“It’s your job!”
Mao snapped her fingers, and before the argument could go any further, her warriors Akiko and Takahiko appeared with large platters. “Here is your dinner, fresh from the lagoon! Please, make yourselves comfortable.”
Adam threw himself at the cushions, sending Jeremy tumbling out of his pocket. Yu-na sat next to him, with Mao on her other side. Bug once again commandeered Shizuka, sitting in her lap while she shrugged helplessly at Miki, who giggled until her lap acquired a parasite of its own in the shape of Johnny. The others seated themselves more or less normally, and Blade wandered around the circle, hoping for scraps. He was not to be disappointed.
The meal was mostly fish, rice, and seaweed prepared in various ways. “It’s really good,” Evan said with his mouth full.
“I know,” said Mao. “It’s our favorite. We only get fish when the lagoon melts, and today we caught so many that we were afraid it would spoil before we ate it all.”
“So you didn’t want our company!” teased Yu-na. “You just didn’t want to waste the fish!”
Mao laughed. “We like your company, too.”
Mao must have been telling the truth, for Yu-na and the boys were allowed to stay even after the food was gone. Nobunari produced a ball, and soon everyone was kicking it around. Mullet called out rules that changed whenever he wasn’t winning.
The game grew loud and raucous, and during a lull, Yu-na went to the mouth of the cave to get a breath of fresh air. She heard a familiar grunting sound and frowned. “Mao?”
“What’s wrong?” asked Mao, at her side in an instant.
Yu-na peeked through the brush. “I thought I heard the pirates.”
Mao listened and nodded. “You’re right. They’re probably just passing through, but just in case… Nobunari, put the ball away! Shizuka, put out the fire! Everyone, quiet! The pirates are near!”
Everyone rushed to obey. The Indians grabbed their bows, and the lost boys made sure their daggers were in place. Soon the cave was dark and still - so still that they could hear when the grunting stopped and the whispers began.
“This is the place, I know it! There was just a light!” Yu-na thought the voice sounded like Scoot.
“Is Indian territory. Captain wants Rippon, not Indians.” Certainly Galina the Terrible.
“Maybe they can lead us to him! You’re not afraid, are you?”
“Never afraid,” said Galina, and before the Indians and lost boys realized what was happening, she pushed through the brush, torch in hand. She grinned as the firelight played over frightened faces. “Found you!”
The ensuing battle was brief and not so bloody as it could have been. The pirates were too big for the Indians and lost boys to push out of the cave, but their numbers were few, and if the limited space made it difficult for Mao’s warriors to use their bows, the pirates were just as hindered by the low ceiling. Jeremy seemed to be everywhere at once, lighting the area for his friends and blinding the pirates. Galina managed to grab Johnny, but he hit her on the head with Quatchi, and she was so surprised that she dropped him. He scurried off before she could get her hands on him again, and Yu-na punched her in the stomach for daring to hurt her little brother. Adam jumped onto Viktor’s back and held his arms, restraining him from attacking Nobunari. Bear struggled with Mr. Button, and a well-timed kick from Shizuka knocked the pirate to the floor. Cranky Frank made his way towards Mao, but Evan stabbed him in the shoulder before he could reach her.
But it was Blade who truly turned the tide. He dodged legs and arms and falling bodies to get to Scoot, who stayed on the sidelines yelling out instructions rather than enter the fight himself. Growling a little, Blade found the pirate’s leg and sank his teeth into his ankle.
Scoot yelped. “Retreat! To the ship! Retreat!” He hopped on one foot out of the cave, and the rest of the pirates followed.
For a while, there was no sound but the heavy breathing of the warriors and the Royal Army. “Good fight,” said Mao shakily. “Is everyone still here?”
Yu-na took a quick headcount by Jeremy’s light. Yes, there was Adam, on the ceiling. There was Mullet, crouching protectively in front of Johnny and Bug. Bear and Googly stood back to back, still ready for anything that might come at them. There was Evan, staring at his blood-smeared dagger, and there was Blade, trying to get the taste of Scoot out of his mouth. “All accounted for,” Yu-na started to say, but Mao turned to her in a panic.
“Miki’s gone!” she said. “The pirates took Miki!”
Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11
Rating: G
Summary: Peter Pan AU. A day that begins with mermaids ends with disaster.
Disclaimer: I own neither skaters nor magical flying children, and anything that happens to them herein is entirely fictional.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Johnny was just putting the finishing touches on Bear’s new outfit when the sled burst into the home under the ground, bringing Mullet with it. “The lagoon melted!” Mullet said as he hauled out the spoils of his hunting trip. “Let’s go swimming!”
Yu-na looked over at him from where she was dueling with Evan under the watchful eye of Adam. “And meet the mermaids?” she squealed, then expertly parried Evan’s dagger.
“If they’re there,” said Mullet, blushing for no reason that Yu-na could see.
“They’ll be there!” said Googly. “One of them is his girlfriend!”
“Is not!” said Mullet.
“Is too!”
“She’s just a friend!”
“A friend with cooties!” Googly shot a glance at Yu-na. “Um, not that there’s anything wrong with cooties. I mean girls. I mean-”
“We know what you mean,” said Bear, as dryly as he could while getting rhinestones glued to his collar.
Yu-na rolled her eyes and returned her dagger to its sheath. “A swim sounds like a wonderful idea, even if the mermaids aren’t there. But won’t it be too cold?”
“The zamboni makes the cold,” said Adam, “so it disappears when the ice does.”
“How convenient!” said Yu-na. “All right, everyone get your swimsuits!”
The lost boys looked at her blankly. “Swimsuits?” asked Bug.
“What you wear when you go swimming,” said Yu-na.
“What we wear when we go swimming?” asked Bear.
“Surely you wear something,” said Yu-na, and trailed off when the lost boys and Adam shook their heads. “Well, I am not going to go skinny-dipping with a bunch of boys. Find something to wear or none of us will go.”
“I’ll help!” said Johnny. He glued one last rhinestone to Bear, then ran to the cubbyhole where he kept his materials. “I found these stretchy leaves yesterday…”
“Perfect!” said Yu-na. “We’ll use them.”
Ordinarily Adam didn’t allow the other boys to wear leaves, since that would make them look like him, but on this occasion he bowed to Yu-na’s demands. Some very quick sewing later, the entire human population of the kingdom was dressed in Johnny Orser-Wilson original swimsuits.
“It’s itchy,” said Evan.
Johnny blew a raspberry at him.
“Let’s go,” said Mullet. “They won’t wait forever!”
“Ooooh, so she’s waiting?” said Googly.
“Googly, no teasing,” said Yu-na. “And Mullet, no hitting.”
“I didn’t hit him!”
“You wanted to. Now come along, everyone!”
They decided to leave their skates behind and fly. Bear carried Blade with him, the Royal Nurse’s duties having been expanded to include Royal Lifeguard. Fairies rarely went swimming, but Jeremy still tagged along, chatting with Adam and helping Bug in his attempt to teach Johnny how to tinkle. Quatchi was nowhere in sight, Mullet having convinced Johnny that sasquatches don’t like water. The lagoon was close by, and soon the group heard the mermaids calling out to them.
Or rather to Adam.
“Adam!”
“It’s Adam!”
“Adam Rippon!”
“Over here, Adam!”
Adam laughed and landed on a rock, where he was promptly set upon by mermaids. Two lucky ones managed to get their hands in his hair. Jeremy tried to pry their fingers away, but Adam didn’t seem to mind. “Hello, girls. Did you miss me?”
“Oh, yes!” they chorused.
“That horrible ice!” said one, shuddering.
“Can’t you make the zamboni stay away?” asked another.
“Now girls, even I can’t do everything,” said Adam, and laughed again as the mermaids rushed to tell him it wasn’t true.
“Well,” said Yu-na, who had stopped with the others on another rock. “It looks like I won’t get to meet the mermaids after all.”
“Ah,” said Mullet sheepishly. “You can meet Yana.”
“Yana?” asked Yu-na.
Mullet pointed to the water, where a blond mermaid smiled and waved at them. “She’s my- we’re friends.”
Googly gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like “girlfriend,” but it turned into a real coughing fit when Yana glared up at him.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Yana,” said Yu-na. “I am Queen Yu-na.”
“Queen of what?” asked Yana.
“All of us!” said Googly proudly.
“Not of me,” said Yana.
“No, of course not!” said Yu-na. “Just the lost boys.”
“And us,” said Evan. “Are me and Johnny lost boys?”
“It’s ‘Johnny and I,’ and you are if you want to be. I’m sure you’d get lost if you tried to go home by yourself,” said Yu-na. She turned back to Yana. “Why aren’t you with Adam and the others?”
“Not all of us like curly hair,” said Yana with a grin. “Mullet’s is nicer.”
“I see,” said Yu-na as Mullet happily tossed his golden locks. She hesitated. “Please, Yana, may we swim with you?”
Yana shrugged. “It’s a free lagoon.”
Yu-na beamed and slipped into the water. “Come on in, boys!” she called.
“Cannonball!” yelled Johnny, and crashed into the water. Bug followed him, giggling. Bear, after a last word to Blade, executed a perfect dive off the rock. Googly did a belly flop, first making sure that Yu-na was watching. Mullet jumped in backwards and let Yana catch him.
Evan didn’t do anything fancy, but he was the one who bumped into a mermaid. “Sorry,” he mumbled, his face as red as the new mermaid’s hair.
“That’s all right,” said the mermaid. She looked at him curiously. “Who are you?”
“Evan,” said Evan. “I’m a lost boy!”
“Oh,” said the mermaid. “I’m Anna. A mermaid.”
“I knew that.”
“My name?”
“No, that you’re a…” Evan frowned as Anna snickered. “You’re making fun of me.”
“Just a little,” said Anna. She flicked her tail, sending droplets of water all over Evan’s head. “Swim with me?”
“I’m not very good at-”
Anna splashed him again. “Swim with me.”
“Okay,” Evan said meekly, and sputtered as Anna dragged him through the water.
Meanwhile, Yu-na had let Yana and Mullet go off together and was now swimming alone. There were more mermaids below the surface, and if she squinted, Yu-na thought she could make out a castle. She couldn’t swim deep enough or long enough to really see it, however, and it was with regret that she came up for air.
And it was with a shriek that she realized something was grabbing her ankle. She flailed around in the water, trying to shake the something off, until finally it rose to the surface, revealing a familiar face. “…Mao?” said Yu-na.
The Chieftain, wet hair plastered to her face, howled with laughter. “You should have seen yourself!”
“You scared me!”
“Sorry,” said Mao, her face still mirthful. “I had to get your attention.”
“You have it,” said Yu-na, trying and failing to cross her arms and tread water at the same time. “What do you want?”
“We’re having a feast later,” said Mao. “Would you and your army like to come?”
Yu-na’s anger melted away. “We’d love to! What time is it, and where?”
“Get lost in our forest at five o’clock. We’ll find you,” said Mao. With that, she dove down into the lagoon, and vanished before Yu-na could figure out which direction she’d gone in.
Something thumped into Yu-na’s back. “Ow! What-”
“Tag!” said Johnny. “You’re It!”
***
By five o’clock, Yu-na, the boys, Jeremy, Blade, and even Quatchi were dry, properly attired, and in the Indians’ forest. It had been difficult to wrench Adam away from the mermaids, but once freed, he’d admitted that they did sometimes get to be a little much for him. Mullet already had plans to meet Yana again the next day, assuming the zamboni stayed away. Evan talked on and on about Anna and the swimming tricks she’d taught him, and after the first three times he recounted their conversation, the others started reciting it along with him. Jeremy even imitated their voices, and while most of the group couldn’t tell the difference between that and his usual tinkling, Adam and Bug assured them that it was hilarious.
“She sounds lovely, Evan,” Yu-na said when her brother started to show signs of pouting. “You’ll have to introduce us next time.”
“I will! She’s so nice. Did I tell you-”
“Yes, you did,” said Bear. “You can stop telling us now.”
“Okay,” said Evan. “Sorry.”
“Do you think we’re lost enough yet?” asked Googly, looking around at the trees. “How will they find us if we’re lost, anyway? If we don’t know where we are, how can they know?”
Mao dropped from a tree and landed right in front of him, just as her warriors dropped down to form a circle around Yu-na and the boys. “We have our ways.”
“We also have blindfolds!” said Miki.
“Blindfolds?” asked Adam.
“We’re taking you someplace secret,” said Shizuka. “Hold still.”
“Aw, come on,” said Adam as the Indians blindfolded the lost boys, “we won’t tell anyone where it is!”
“You might if they torture you,” said Miki.
“They’d have to catch me first!”
“Adam, not everyone is as hard to catch as you are,” said Yu-na with as much dignity as she could muster with a blindfold on. “If we get blindfolded, you do too.”
“Oh, all right,” said Adam. “But what about Jeremy and Blade?”
“Put Jeremy in your pocket. Blade can stay as he is,” said Mao. She took hold of Yu-na’s hand. “Come on, everyone!”
Slowly, and with grumbles from some of the boys, Mao’s warriors led the Royal Army through the forest. “Are we there yet?” asked Yu-na after she caught her toe pick on a root for the second time.
“Almost,” said Mao. “Duck!”
Yu-na ducked, skated forward, and felt the ground change from ice to stone. Mao steadied her and untied her blindfold, then quickly led her farther away from the ice to allow the others room to come in. They were in a cave, rather smaller than the home under the ground, with cushions on the floor and a fire in one corner.
“You can leave your skates here,” said Mao, unlacing her own.
“Is this where you live?” asked Yu-na. She took off her skates and placed them next to Mao’s.
Mao shook her head. “We wouldn’t take you there even with the blindfolds. We can’t risk the pirates finding us.”
“Of course not,” said Yu-na. By this time, everyone was in the cave, and Miki and Daisuke replaced the brush that disguised the entrance.
“So what’s for dinner?” asked Googly. “I’m tired of Bear’s cooking.”
“You could cook,” said Bear.
“It’s your job!”
Mao snapped her fingers, and before the argument could go any further, her warriors Akiko and Takahiko appeared with large platters. “Here is your dinner, fresh from the lagoon! Please, make yourselves comfortable.”
Adam threw himself at the cushions, sending Jeremy tumbling out of his pocket. Yu-na sat next to him, with Mao on her other side. Bug once again commandeered Shizuka, sitting in her lap while she shrugged helplessly at Miki, who giggled until her lap acquired a parasite of its own in the shape of Johnny. The others seated themselves more or less normally, and Blade wandered around the circle, hoping for scraps. He was not to be disappointed.
The meal was mostly fish, rice, and seaweed prepared in various ways. “It’s really good,” Evan said with his mouth full.
“I know,” said Mao. “It’s our favorite. We only get fish when the lagoon melts, and today we caught so many that we were afraid it would spoil before we ate it all.”
“So you didn’t want our company!” teased Yu-na. “You just didn’t want to waste the fish!”
Mao laughed. “We like your company, too.”
Mao must have been telling the truth, for Yu-na and the boys were allowed to stay even after the food was gone. Nobunari produced a ball, and soon everyone was kicking it around. Mullet called out rules that changed whenever he wasn’t winning.
The game grew loud and raucous, and during a lull, Yu-na went to the mouth of the cave to get a breath of fresh air. She heard a familiar grunting sound and frowned. “Mao?”
“What’s wrong?” asked Mao, at her side in an instant.
Yu-na peeked through the brush. “I thought I heard the pirates.”
Mao listened and nodded. “You’re right. They’re probably just passing through, but just in case… Nobunari, put the ball away! Shizuka, put out the fire! Everyone, quiet! The pirates are near!”
Everyone rushed to obey. The Indians grabbed their bows, and the lost boys made sure their daggers were in place. Soon the cave was dark and still - so still that they could hear when the grunting stopped and the whispers began.
“This is the place, I know it! There was just a light!” Yu-na thought the voice sounded like Scoot.
“Is Indian territory. Captain wants Rippon, not Indians.” Certainly Galina the Terrible.
“Maybe they can lead us to him! You’re not afraid, are you?”
“Never afraid,” said Galina, and before the Indians and lost boys realized what was happening, she pushed through the brush, torch in hand. She grinned as the firelight played over frightened faces. “Found you!”
The ensuing battle was brief and not so bloody as it could have been. The pirates were too big for the Indians and lost boys to push out of the cave, but their numbers were few, and if the limited space made it difficult for Mao’s warriors to use their bows, the pirates were just as hindered by the low ceiling. Jeremy seemed to be everywhere at once, lighting the area for his friends and blinding the pirates. Galina managed to grab Johnny, but he hit her on the head with Quatchi, and she was so surprised that she dropped him. He scurried off before she could get her hands on him again, and Yu-na punched her in the stomach for daring to hurt her little brother. Adam jumped onto Viktor’s back and held his arms, restraining him from attacking Nobunari. Bear struggled with Mr. Button, and a well-timed kick from Shizuka knocked the pirate to the floor. Cranky Frank made his way towards Mao, but Evan stabbed him in the shoulder before he could reach her.
But it was Blade who truly turned the tide. He dodged legs and arms and falling bodies to get to Scoot, who stayed on the sidelines yelling out instructions rather than enter the fight himself. Growling a little, Blade found the pirate’s leg and sank his teeth into his ankle.
Scoot yelped. “Retreat! To the ship! Retreat!” He hopped on one foot out of the cave, and the rest of the pirates followed.
For a while, there was no sound but the heavy breathing of the warriors and the Royal Army. “Good fight,” said Mao shakily. “Is everyone still here?”
Yu-na took a quick headcount by Jeremy’s light. Yes, there was Adam, on the ceiling. There was Mullet, crouching protectively in front of Johnny and Bug. Bear and Googly stood back to back, still ready for anything that might come at them. There was Evan, staring at his blood-smeared dagger, and there was Blade, trying to get the taste of Scoot out of his mouth. “All accounted for,” Yu-na started to say, but Mao turned to her in a panic.
“Miki’s gone!” she said. “The pirates took Miki!”
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