Wendy

Wendy was tired. Absolutely and unbearably tired. She set down the brush that she had been grooming her long, wavy, chestnut hair with and studied her reflection in the vanity mirror. Even her face showed obvious signs of exhaustion. Given, she was still very beautiful and everyone knew it. But, the stress of Wendy's life had been taking its toll on not only her appearance, but her mind as well. Wendy could no longer tell the difference between right and wrong, up and down, or simple and complex. She was a mess.

The longer she looked at herself, the more she noticed the little things about her that made her look so ill. Wendy was thin, very thin. She tried to hide her shape by wearing flowing gowns that created space between her body and the fabric but if anyone looked hard enough, they would be able to see the sharp points of her collarbone, her hipbones, and her ribs. Without the gowns, her features would easily be visible and Mother would surely faint from the sight. There wasn't anything Wendy or her family could do about it for Wendy simply just didn't have an appetite anymore. Things were simpler when she was younger.

"Wendy!" Michael, the youngest of the Darling children, rapped his fist on the door, interrupting his sister's train of thought. "Father said it's time to leave. He wants to give you something so come downstairs when you're ready."

Wendy listened closely to the sound of her brother's footsteps dying off in the distance. Having become quite comfortable in her chair at the vanity, she gave her appearance one last look and stood up, sighing in defeat. Special occasions like tonight made Mr. Darling very impatient so Wendy tried her best not to keep her family waiting. Hastily, she put on the new, white, satin gown that Mother had picked out. The fabric flowed to the ground and gathered at her waist in a neat bow. Lace bordered the neckline and intricated in delicate designs throughout the train. Although beautiful, the gown was hugging and didn't give the wearer much room to hide.

Wendy quickly put on the pearl earrings that her Aunt Millicent gave her two years ago and checked her figure one last time in the mirror. Lovely. She looked like a woman.

Still, something was missing. Having been completely covered in beautiful clothes, she still felt naked…bare. She smoothed her hands over her sides and tried to get a feel of what was wrong. Wendy looked around the room, hoping to find what she lacked.

Over the past few years, things had drastically changed for the room that was once a nursery. Shortly after Wendy's thirteenth birthday, John and Michael were moved into the room across the hall in order to give Wendy more opportunity to be a teenager. All three children were very upset with the new arrangements but Wendy quickly became accustomed to her new environment. She greatly appreciated her extra space but there were times when she missed her brothers' company.

For the most part, the room looked the same with a few mild adjustments. The toys and play objects were stored under the bed or in the closet and various vases of flowers took their place and sat on almost every flat surface that was available. Paintings of fields and trees hung on the walls to cover up the skid marks that the children had somehow made when they were kids. In the corner by the window was a waist-high jewelry box that held the rings, necklaces, and bracelets that Wendy had collected over the years. A small couch was added next to the brick fireplace, giving Wendy a place to read in the winter. The rest of walls were littered with shelves of books that held the tales of hate, adventure, and love.

The only thing in the room that Wendy refused to change was her bed. Her quilt comforter still hugged the mattress and her favorite doll was still settled at the head of her pillow. Mrs. Darling had insisted on moving the bed to the corner in order to move a new and bigger rug into the middle of the room but Wendy had held her ground and put up quite a fight. She would never move her bed for it was positioned exactly where she liked it; directly opposite the window that Wendy always kept unlocked for a very special boy.

The sudden thought of him caused Wendy to recall what she was missing. In the third drawer of her jewelry box, hidden under the board, was her favorite accessory. Attached to the end of a silver chain, hung an acorn. It was his kiss. Wendy fastened the necklace around her neck and watched as it fell just past the throat of her dress. It had been years since Wendy had worn it.

"Please Wendy, we must leave." This time it was Mother who called.

Wendy tucked the kiss into her dress and rapidly put on her heels that she avoided wearing at all costs. Even though they hurt, they were the biggest highlight in London and Wendy was expected to wear them even though she would rather go barefoot.

Completely sure that she was ready; Wendy exited her room and made her way down the stairs. Waiting at the foot of the steps was her family. John and Michael were almost identical in matching black suits that made them look older than they really were. She hated to admit it, but the boys really were older than she gave them credit for; Michael was newly thirteen and John was a young man at sixteen. Father, who looked almost exactly the same as the boys, towered over them. Appearance wise, he and John looked the most alike while Wendy and Michael took after their mother. Mary Darling stood next to her husband and stole the scene with her beautiful appearance. All of Bloomsbury would agree that Mrs. Darling was the loveliest woman of all. The special kiss that was hidden in the right-hand corner of her mouth held Wendy's attention and she was grateful that she was able to share her kiss with someone she loved.

There her family stood. Simple, yet perfect to her. Nana –the family's loving St. Bernard who once served as the children's nurse- slept soundly on the rug that was placed before the door.

Wendy cascaded down the remaining steps and stood before her parents and brothers, allowing them to get a good look at her.

"Lovely. Absolutely lovely." Said her mother in her smooth alto voice. That meant a lot coming from someone who Wendy idolized.

"Thank you Mother." Replied Wendy with a smile. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I was daydreaming."

Mr. Darling stepped out from behind Michael and reached for Wendy's hand, leading her down the final step, "Never mind that dear, we have something small for you before we go."

Wendy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. How could they present her with a gift when they have given her so much already? Answering her unspoken question, George Darling pulled a white box out of his coat pocket and handed it to his daughter. Wendy studied the box for a short moment before reaching out to collect it. The box was smooth and soft, like velvet. Velvet was expensive which made Wendy uneasy about her parents getting her an unnecessary gift.

Wendy opened the box stared in awe at the object. Inside the box was a beautiful hair clip that was comprised entirely of rhinestones. A rhinestone, larger than the others and shaped like a star, was strategically placed at the center of the clip.

"It's perfect. Thank you so much, but you didn't have to get me anything."

"Nonsense." Replied Mother who removed the clip from the box. She spun Wendy around by her shoulders and moved all of her hair so it fell down her back. With both hands, Mother gathered hair from either side of Wendy's face and fastened the clip in the middle. It shone brightly against Wendy's soft hair. "Now you're ready." She added.

"And heavens would you look at the time!" Said Father with a glance at his watch that had been passed down by each generation of Darlings. "Come along children, we don't want to keep our guests waiting any longer."

The Darling family all slipped on their coats and out the front door they went; Mr. and Mrs. Darling in the lead, John and Michael close behind, and Wendy, trying not to think about the killing pain coming from her feet, trudged along a little slower than the rest.

It was a cold night. The wind nipped at her cheeks and Wendy knew that they were probably red and chappy. The hair that was not fastened in the clip flew around her shoulders furiously, but she didn't care. It was just hair after all.

Wendy kept steady pace behind her family as she studied the sky above her. The moon was high and the stars were scattered like freckles in the night. The lights of the town enabled her to get a good view of them but she knew they were out there, and, boy, were they beautiful. Some were even glistening. She tried very hard to locate one star in particular but it was very difficult to see it with so many out tonight. Plus, she wasn't looking to fall and make a fool out of herself. Actually, the more Wendy looked at the stars, the more she came to the conclusion that they were moving; it was like a diamond was darting in the direction of her town. Wendy held her breath and prayed the speck of shooting light would land on her house, waiting for her.

The light did nothing more than race across the sky directly over her head. She released the air she had been holding and came to the conclusion that it was just a shooting star.

"Make a wish." Wendy said to herself softly. Without losing her footing, Wendy closed her eyes and asked for the same thing she asked for each year on her birthday…the same wish she would ask for on every birthday she would ever have.