Island of Lost Girls - Jennifer McMahon [35]
Then Malcolm joined in: OW! And grabbed his butt.
Peter jumped down from the window into the nursery and looked around. I dont see any bees.
Rhonda got up from the cot she was lying on and looked around, agreeing. There were no bees. Not so much as a mosquito or a blackfly.
None of the stinging buggers here, matey, called Lizzy, watching from the deck of her pirate ship that was actually the hood of Clems old car. A couple of the younger pirates sat in the backseat, sharing a bag of chocolate-covered peanuts. There were half a dozen other kids milling around, dressed as Indians and lost boys, waiting for Peter and the Darling children to fly off to Neverland so they could do the next scene. Panic sets in quickly among the bored.
Jamie slapped frantically at his neck, screaming, Bees! as he ran in circles around the stage.
There must be a nest, Malcolm cried to the group of kids assembled. Everyone run!
And before Peter could stop them, there went his entire cast, with the exception of Rhonda and Lizzy, running wildly through the woods, screaming about killer bees.
Then came the laugh from the top of the trees. They looked up and there was Greta Clark, BB gun in hand, legs wrapped around the top of a white pine.
Greta! Peter shouted. You could have put someones eye out with that thing!
Buzz, buzz, buzz! she shouted back.
Greta lived in a trailer near the lake with her kooky mother, Laura Lee Clark, who claimed to have been in just about every movie made in the seventies. There was never any confirmation of what might have happened to Gretas father, who might or might not have been Warren Beatty, according to Laura Lee.
Greta Clark was twelve and carried a homemade bow and arrows and a BB gun that she used to shoot squirrels. She wore a red felt cowboy hat meant for a kid much smaller than her, and it just perched on the very top of her head, the chin strap pulled tight to keep it in place.
Greta fought mean and dirty. She would challenge a kid to a bicycle race, and halfway through, his front wheel would come loose or his tire would go flat because of a tiny pebble jammed up inside the valve. During a fistfight (of which there had been many over the years), she would throw sand in her opponents face, or, if he was a boy, grab his privates and squeeze as hard as she could until he lay moaning and puking in the dirt, kicking like a bug stuck on its back.
There was also a rumor at school that she was a lesbo.
Your play sucks shit! Greta called down.
I think we should kick her ass, said Lizzy. She was perched on the roof of the car, waving her coat hanger hook through the air, wooden sword drawn. She had on black satin pants tucked into an old pair of her fathers motorcycle boots. They were way too big for her feet, so she wore them with lots of pairs of socks. She had a ruffled white shirt with a wide lapel and an old red velvet jacket that shed sewn some gold trim to. On her head was the big splurge, an actual black pirate hat from the costume shop up in Burlington.
Peter shook his head. Weve gotta get to Clems birthday party anyway. Well round up everyone tomorrow and have a real rehearsal. He jumped off the stage and started to walk down the path to Rhondas house.
Youre not gonna do anything? Lizzy asked when the girls caught up with him.
What, you mean to Greta? Peter asked.
Well, yeah! She just ruined our first rehearsal, Lizzy said.
What am I supposed to do, climb the tree and drag her down?
Something like that, Lizzy said. Ill let her have it with my hook! She waved her coat hanger hook through the air menacingly.
Nah, said Peter. The best thing we can do is ignore her. She just wants attention.
Lizzy leaned into Rhonda and said, Maybe shes harassing us cause shes got a crush on you!
No, Rhonda said. Itsyou she wants. She must have heard you singing Achy Breaky Heart and fell head over heels!
They both cackled.
But you know I was singing for you, Wendy, Lizzy said.
Oh Captain Hook, Rhonda swooned, youre so romantic. She grabbed