sultal's note: Hi all! Today I met one of my best friends from high school. He and I use to have random foot races (which I always won!) So, inspired, I decided to WRITE AN ENTIRE STORY IN TWO DAYS MAYBE ONE. That is my goal. And since I am the queen of 'writing-a-ton-then-randomly-stopping-for-six-months-because-of-school (ehem ehem Anger is Red & Betrayal is Black readers will understand-please don't kill me:)), this is a huge deadline challenge for me! This story will be short - 5 or 6 chapters!

so, enjoy! keep writing!

Chapter One: The Pirate

"On your marrrrrrrrrk…"

Wendy smiled. Eagerly she bounced on the balls of her feet.

"Get seeeeeeeeeeeeeet…"

She looked to the side. Peter flashed a cocky grin.

"You're going to loose." he said with a wink.

Wendy smiled and looked straight ahead. Nightgown in hand, she cleared the hem from her ankles.

Peter Pan could fly faster than she. But Wendy was going win this footrace!

Breath held, she waited for Slightly to make the final call.

"GO!"

Go!

Wendy burst forward. Twigs and ferns crunched under her feet as she ran past Slighltly and into the jungle. Quickly she was ahead, covered by a blur of luscious green canopy.

"Oh!"

"Last one there!" Peter laughed, wrenching Wendy back. Hilariously he sprinted by, swinging Wendy about by the sash. "Is a codfish!"

"Peter!" Wendy exclaimed, stumbling and catching herself on a tree. "That's cheating!"

"Codfish!" Peter's voice taunted happily through the forest.

Wendy pushed off the trunk. Angrily she dashed after Peter. Sweat beaded over her little nose and curls plastered to her forehead. Her nightgown stuck to her legs and the blue bow bounced crookedly in the air.

But quickly, Wendy caught sight of Peter. Heaving an excited breath, Wendy pumped her arms. And after several very unlady-like maneuvers, Wendy breezed past Peter Pan.

I'm going to win! Wendy thought, nearly tripping with glee. Energized by her lead, she tore towards the predetermined finish line – Crocodile Creek. The forest whipped by. She was almost there! Sprinting the remaining distance, Wendy took a deep breath for her victorious cheer.

But her cheer turned into a scream.

A pirate jumped from the river banks.

Wendy was running so fast, she couldn't stop. Startled, she ran right into the pirate's bony fist. The pirate, roughly her size, fell under Wendy' momentum and the two crashed into Crocodile Creek.

Wendy gasped to the surface. For a fleeting second she saw the pirate. Astounded, she stared: the pirate was a boy! Perhaps one or two years her senior!

Then, the pirate was on top of her. He grabbed her throat. And with a vicious growl, he forced her head underwater.

Wendy had two seconds to panic. Sunlight bled through the dirty, shallow water as the pirate squeezed, choking her to death. Desperately, she clawed at the pirate's arms and kicked with all her might. But the pirate only clenched his fingers deeper into the tender spots of her throat.

Suddenly the pressure disappeared.

Peter flew into the water, hitting the pirate like a bullet. Wendy gasped as Peter scooped her up and dragged her over the river bank.

"Now we run!"

Wendy obeyed. Breathless and spluttering water, she ran after Peter, furiously trying to think of a happy thought.

"AH!"

Wendy fell. Dirt smudged into her eyes as the pirate slammed against her back. Helplessly, she tried to push up as the pirate pressed her face into the earth. His elbow dug into the back of her neck. Suddenly Wendy heard the slice of a knife and felt the tip in the middle of her skull.

"NO!"

Wendy was too scared to realize what happened until it was over.

Peter blazed out of the sky, out of nowhere. Screaming like a devil, he seized the pirate. And as Wendy turned over, her face stinging with blood, she saw Peter lift his dagger. Then the dagger dropped.

Thud!

Wendy's scream was overwhelmed as Peter stabbed the pirate. The blade crunched through skin, muscle, bone, through the other side and stuck into the earth.

"Take that, Billy Jukes!" Peter shouted. And gathering Wendy safely in his arms, Peter left the pirate boy – Billy Jukes – to die.