Welcome to Gaia! ::

This is a fanfic I started about a year ago or so... I just never found the time to finish it. I still want to, kind of... Well, I guess it all depends. There are so many Peter Pan stories I have to start/finish, and this was one I was doing for fun. Lemme know what you think. (If you want to read it, that is, lol)


Chapter I : Like A Little Bird

At least twelve people had bumped into her since she entered the terminal. She had known flying was a bothersome business, but she hadn't expected the people at the airport to be so rude. Only two of them so far had murmured an apology, and Talia wasn't expecting another one. She squeezed closer to her mother, holding her arm tightly.
"Mummy, everyone is running into me." she wasn't really expecting her mother to do anything about it. She just felt someone ought to know.
“Just keep close, darling,” her mother said absently, not bothering to look down. She was always like that when she was on her phone.
Talia kept a tight hold on her small suitcase and Babber, who was half sprawled out on the top of her suitcase and half tucked under Talia’s arm. His long ears swayed limply against her arm as she continued walking. It seemed like forever since they had checked their baggage. Talia wondered dimly how long it would take to find the plane they were to board.
“Where’s our plane?” Talia asked loudly, as soon as the thought arose in her mind. Her mother continued to talk avidly on her phone, holding up the ‘just a moment’ finger to silence her daughter. Talia frowned and made a point of loosening her grip on her mother’s sleeve as if to say, ‘I’ll just get hit by strangers, then.’ Her mother ignored this act of disapproval, and Talia nearly got attacked by a business man’s metal briefcase before she decided she should swallow her pride for the moment and continue to cling. It was safer that way. Talia felt a sizable lump rise in her throat.
I wish someone would knock me out with their baggage. Maybe that way we won’t have to go on the plane.
A loud sound and a reflection caught Talia’s attention. She turned and saw a giant window lining the wall on her right, a window that seemed to go on forever. Outside the window was nothing but brilliant blue sky and an enormous airplane taking off. Talia’s eyes went wide watching it. She couldn’t figure out how it worked, and perhaps that was part of the problem... How could something so big manage to fly into the sky and go for hundreds of thousands of miles? It’s wings didn’t flap like a birds, or appear as nothing more than bright blurs like a hummingbirds. Talia’s brow furrowed in thought. She didn’t want to fly in one of those. Why did no one else seem afraid of them? Bitterly, Talia hoped the plane she just watched disappear above them was theirs and that they’d missed it.
“Tickets, please.”
Talia had hardly noticed that they’d stopped, and looked up suddenly to see a woman standing before them with a very forced smile taking plane tickets from her mother. Talia felt herself frown again. “Did we miss the plane?” she asked hopefully. She knew the answer, but it was worth asking, just in case.
“Of course not, dear. Whatever gave you that idea?” her mother replied, glancing down at her before nodding to the woman and muttering a thank you. “Now come along. We’re going to find our seats.” Talia cast a fleeting look back at the enormous window that was escaping her view, thinking longingly of how good it was to be looking out a window in the safety of a building. Her mother pulled her along the narrow walk-way leading to the plane. Talia forced the lump down her throat and tried to look brave. Did everyone feel this way walking to their first plane ride?

“Talia, please stop fidgeting with your seatbelt.”
Talia let her hands drop to her lap. She was trying to distract herself from her current situation, which found her at thousands of miles in the air going lord knows where at god only knows how fast. Her mother had told her that once she was on the plane she would feel different about the experience. Talia felt nothing at this moment then a deep longing to feel dirt under her feet.
“Are you sure you’re not hungry, dear?” her mother asked for the fifth time now. Talia was well known for having a sizable appetite, and when the food cart had passed them she hadn’t given it a glance. Talia merely nodded, half hearing her. “Are we almost there?” she asked, staring intently at Babber who was sitting limply in her lap, staring up at her with large button eyes. Sighing, her mother glanced at her wrist watch. “Not quite. We have another hour or so to go.” Talia stiffened. An hour was like an eternity. So much could go wrong in an hour!
“Relax, darling.” came her mother’s voice, as if reading her thoughts. “There’s nothing to be frightened of. Flying is perfectly safe.”
“It isn’t flying I’m scared of,” Talia replied, risking a small look out the window, which was next to her. “It’s just airplanes. If I were a bird, I’m sure I would like flying just fine.”
There was a small moment of thoughtfulness. “Then just imagine you’re a bird.” her mother said reasonably.
“I can’t.”
“You have a large imagination, Talia.” her mother yawned widely before adding, “Try.”
Talia focused on Babber and concentrated.
I’m a bird, I’m a bird, I’m a bird...
Babber continued to stare at her blankly as if to say, ‘No you are not. You’re nothing but a little girl.’ Talia frowned.
“Babber is distracting me, mummy. I can’t.”
“Then for heaven’s sake, put him down and close your eyes. Just breath in and out,” her mother trailed off in another yawn.
Talia stuffed Babber under her seat next to her small suitcase and leaned back in her chair. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
I’m a bird, I’m a bird, I’m a bird...
The plane jolted slightly, a mere movement that would not have even woken the most restless of passengers, but Talia grabbed onto her arm rests fiercely.
I’m a bird, I’m a bird, I’m nothing but a little bird...
She squeezed her eyes tighter, drowning out the smallest specks of light and reality, willing herself far away from this plane, desperately trying not to imagine it in flames spiraling down through the air. She didn’t like this. It was a huge mistake, getting on this plane. They should have driven and then taken the ferry, like daddy had said. Daddy had made so much sense then...
Talia recalled the week before when she had been sitting at her own kitchen table in her old house, watching her mother speak with her father on the phone. Her mother twirled the phone cord around her pointer finger, which was always a sign that it wasn’t a business call. “I know it would be more fun for her, Robert, but flying would just be faster. We’d make better time that way, and I can get back to work immediately.” Talia pretended to be more interested in moving her Cheerio’s around her cereal bowl with her spoon. Work, Talia had thought. Why does mummy always seem so worried about work?
Talia sometimes thought to herself that maybe her mother’s work was the reason her father left. It still made so little sense to her that whenever she thought about it all, it would slip out her mind like a bar of wet soap. Why would two people love each other for so long, and then not want to see each other anymore because of something trivial like work? Didn’t all grown-ups need to work? There was no making any sense of it, and so Talia never tried. She would never understand grown-ups. Nor did she particularly want to.
The plane jolted again, and somehow, Talia found that it was much more unsettling with your eyes shut tight. But she was too far to turn back now. She could have sworn that she felt feathers starting to sprout out of her arms and down her back.
She put her head down and let herself slip into the black abyss that lay behind her eyelids.
I’m a bird, I’m a bird, I’m a bird, I’m a bird... I’m... I’m a... bird...
Something that felt like slumber began to creep up on her all of a sudden, and Talia supposed it might be better to let it take her. It would be easier to forget where she was. Drowsily, she floated in the nothingness that wasn’t quite sleep and wasn’t quite awake, disappointed that she didn’t turn into a bird, but grateful that she could no longer hear the sound of the plane engine or smell the sterile odor of the first-class seats. She felt as if she had been here before, this place with no beginning and no end. She felt weightless, and she began to flap her arms, pretending she was in fact a bird. She laughed merrily as she managed a flip in the air, and she could hear her own voice distantly calling, "I'm a bird! I'm a bird!"
And then she saw it.
It was impossible to make out from the beginning. It was small and distant, so far away it appeared as nothing more than a speck of green and blue. On the outside world, Talia closed her eyes tighter. It seemed the thing to do. Suddenly, the far-off speck seemed to spark to life. It came nearer to her, and became brighter and easier to see. She clenched her eyes tighter. It was an island. A beautiful, mysterious island that was coming to life before her eyes. Talia hovered above it, hands clamped together in joy, marveling at the island beneath her.
The Neverland...
And just when it seemed the island was going to become so bright that it burst into flames, Talia awoke with a start.
She sat for a moment, dwelling on what she'd seen. She had seen that island before, always in her dreams, but she hadn't seen it for what seemed like a very long time. Truthfully, she had forgotten all about it. She sighed lightly. What a wonderful little island. Being on that island instead of this plane would probably be even better than being a bird.
Talia glanced over at her mother, wondering how long she'd been asleep. Her mother was fast asleep, her head back and perched gracefully on her pillow, long lashes cast downward, brushing her smooth cheeks. Talia kept looking. Her mother was really very beautiful. Talia vaugely wondered if she would look like her mother when she grew up.
Babber fell out of his prison under Talia's seat, plopping onto the floor in a pathetic sort of manner that suggested he was not enjoying his solitude. Remembering how cruel she had been, Talia picked up the floppy rabbit and hugged him against her. "We're still in the plane, Babber," she whispered woefully to her friend, finally turning to look out the window. Blue sky passed them slowly, and below them, a never ending stretch of water. Talia gulped. If they crashed into the water, who was to ever know? Did they have rescue teams for things like that? She only hoped that if it came to that, there would be friendly mermaids to perhaps salvage the survivors and help them to land.
I wonder if mermaids live on that island I saw...
Something gold streaked past Talia's window. Talia froze, wondering if she'd just imagined it. She must have. Sleep was still lingering around her, and she was bound to see things.
Another streak of gold, this time close to the wing of the plane, which was positioned just behind Talia's window. This time, Talia gasped and jumped out of her seat, pressing her forehead against the glass of the window. She had seen it! Was it a falling star? A flaming bird of some sort, maybe? Were there birds that burst into flame that lived around England? Talia recalled the mythological phoenix, who had the mysterious ability to burst into flame. Was this a phoenix she was seeing?
The golden ball circled the wing with amazing agility and skill. No, this couldn’t be a phoenix, or any other type of bird. Birds didn’t move like that, and they certainly weren’t that tiny... Talia pressed her hand against the window, wishing that the mysterious ball of light would come nearer so that she could get a better look. And as if answering her wish, the brilliant ball of light streaked past her window once more, but this time it stopped and reversed it's direction, flying evenly with the plane just outside the window. Talia's eyes were as round as dinner plates. This glowing ball, this tiny light was looking back at her through the window, looking just as surprised as Talia felt. Talia's mouth hung open, unbelieving. On the other side of the reinforced glass, there was a tiny lady staring back at her, wings fluttering so fast they were nothing but blurs. It was almost impossible to tell what color her hair or eyes or anything was, because the little lady was covered in a brilliant golden glow that swirled around her and emanated from her body like a heavenly aura.
It seemed like an eternity that the two regarded each other in awe, and the last thing Talia noticed about the beautiful creature was that she was holding her breath, her tiny cheeks bulging with air.
Talia came to her senses suddenly, realizing that this amazing experience would be worthless without proof. “MUMMY!” Several people, including Talia’s mother, jerked awake, Talia’s shrill voice startling them badly. She hadn’t meant to be so loud, but at the current moment, common sense meant very little. “Mummy, a fairy!! Quickly, look, a fairy! A real one!!” Talia was grabbing her mother’s arm and shaking it now, making sure her mother was good and coherant before she laid eyes on the discovery. Her mother managed to pry her daughter’s hand off of her. “Talia, for goodness sake!! You’re waking up everyone on the plane!”
“Look, now, before she goes away!! She can’t breath up this high and she might--” Talia glanced back at the window and her face fell considerably. The fairy was gone. Not even the slightest hint of a golden ball in the distance.
Talia flattened herself against the window. “Oh! Oh, no! She left! Mummy, there was a fairy, and she was all covered in gold! She was flying just outside my window, and--”
“Talia!!”
Talia shut her mouth instantly. Her mother only used that shrill tone of voice when she was very cross. “But mummy--”
“I understand that you’re still a little scared of flying, but that does not excuse acting like this.” Her mother glanced around quickly at all of the people still staring. The on-lookers mangaed to look away before looking too prying.
“You had a dream. That’s all.” her mother said firmly, more trying to end the situation than reassure her daughter. Talia felt tears stinging behind her eyes. She knew what she'd saw, but instead of feeling excited she felt deflated and embarrassed. She tried to act like she didn't notice the penetrating stares of the other passengers, looking to her lap, biting her lip to hold back tears that wanted badly to come out. She glanced at the window longingly, hoping desperately that the fairy would come back to take another look, so that everyone could see she wasn't just a trouble-some child making a fuss over nothing. All she saw was cast skies and clouds, but certainly no fairies. Her stomach ached. She had seen what she thought she had seen, hadn’t she?
Talia’s eyes widened suddenly. Again, she got closer to the glass of her window, releasing her lower lip from her teeth as her mouth again formed an ‘O’. There was something dipping in and out of the clouds, something much bigger than the fairy she had seen, something with no light covering it. It didn’t have wings, it had arms out-stretched, and on it’s face it wore a merry smile as it laughed.
The figure was a boy. A flying boy, not far behind the left wing of the plane.
And just as soon as Talia had realized what she’d seen, the figure dipped below the clouds and out of sight.


Talia’s eyes opened and she gasped, in that order. After a moment of confused silence, she raised her hand to her head, scratching absently. That was strange. It had been so long ago that she and her mother had flew to London, she had been only eight, and yet she still dreamt about it. Talia looked around her dark room, wondering why she didn’t feel like she was in her bed. She felt around blindly for a moment before realizing that she was on the floor, and her bed was next to her instead of underneath her, as beds should typically be. With eyes closed, Talia managed to pull herself back on her bed, making a series of incoherant grunts as she did so.
After the plane ride on that unforgettable day, Talia and her mother had moved into a new home in London, so that her mother could be closer to her work. Talia loved London and all of it’s buildings and sights, but she hated to be so far away from her father.

Thanks! I've been considering picking it up again... It wasn't going to be very long, anyway. It shouldn't take up too much of my time. ^^