“WHAT IN THE HELL IS this, Alex?” I fumed, storming down the deck.

Alex stood there with three gorgeous men looking smug.

“Why are Nibs, Cubby, and Tootles here? We have no need for lost boys in this venture!”

Nibs wrinkled his aquiline nose, while Cubby folded his arms across his muscular bare chest. Didn’t they own a shirt?

“We don’t go by Nibs, Cubby, and Tootles any longer,” Tootles scowled. He pointed to Nibs and Cubby, “This is Nate and Charlie, and I am Tom. You can at least allow a man to grow up, Captain.”

It had been years since I had seen them. I hardly recognized the boys—men, I suppose I should say.

“Right,” I cleared my throat. “Now, get your asses off my ship!”

Alex stepped up, “Not so fast, Eb. We are going to need extra crew. Several of our men have abandoned ship. They don’t want to leave Neverland.”

I glowered, “Who told them we were leaving?”

Princess Tiger Lilly walked up, her long dark hair swaying perfectly behind her.

“Oh,” she covered her mouth innocently. “Was that a secret?”

“Yes, it bloody well was a secret,” I rolled my eyes. “Look it doesn’t matter, I am not taking lost boys on a trip to kill Pan. They will turn on us. It is a recipe for disaster.”

Charlie raised a hand, “Now, Captain. Pan deserted us to go with Wendy. When he left, we started to grow older just like all the residents of Neverland. Now we are stuck being called ‘lost boys’ as grown men. I am not saying I want you to kill him. But that’s between you and him. I won’t interfere either way.”

Nate nodded, “Same, I just want to get off this bloody island!”

Tom added, “We are hard workers. You won’t find us lazing about.”

My eyes flashed to Alex, who immediately straightened.

Tiger Lilly stepped forward, “Let them come, Captain Hook. We all deserve one great adventure in our lives, don’t we? And besides, they are quite nice to look at.”

Alex frowned, while Charlie blushed profusely. Tom and Nate grinned at Tiger Lilly, and I could barely keep a groan of exasperation inside.

“This isn’t a pleasure cruise. I expect you all to work.”

They all nodded, expectantly.

“Did you bring the pixie?” I questioned Tiger Lilly.

She walked a few paces back, and I noticed that every male eye was glued to her shapely ass.

Pleasure cruise indeed, this was turning into the damn Love Boat, not the Jolly Roger.

Tiger Lilly picked up a crate that was covered by a blanket. The moment she removed the covering I was greeted by the middle finger of a very angry Tinker Bell.

“Perfect!” I smiled for the first time that morning.

***

THE VOYAGE BEGAN WITH little fanfare. My father had been ill and wasn’t able to see us off. I tried not to worry about him, but it was unusual to contract an illness in Neverland.

Charlie, Nate, and Tom were true to their word. I hated to admit it, but things on the ship were running more smoothly than they had in quite some time. Tiger Lilly, being the true princess that she was, didn’t do a damn thing.

I hadn’t expected her too, and yet it still grated on my nerves.

That wasn’t the worst of it. Tiger Lilly was under the impression that we were ‘friends.’

“Ebony,” She was lying across my berth, reading the latest copy of, ‘GLAMOUR vs. GLAMOURS.'

“What Tiger Lilly?” I still struggled at the social graces.

She cocked her head to the side, pouting her perfectly pink lips, “I think that you could be rather attractive, if you would only try.”

I looked down at my grubby pirate gear. It had been my fathers. While it was way too large and ill-fitting, it did bring me a sense of comfort.

“When was the last time you washed your hair?” She wrinkled her nose.

I scowled, “I bathe daily, Tiger Lilly!”

“Do you comb it?”

I flushed. I didn’t have a mother around, and pirates never worried about what their hair looked like.

“Go to hell!” This was my standard reply whenever she pissed me off, which was often.

She smiled, “I wonder what it looks like, when it’s not all matted up like that?” I found one of my hands reaching up to touch the mess that I usually tied into a ponytail. Was it that bad? I didn’t look in a mirror very often, but almost involuntarily, my feet walked over to the oval mirror that was above my wash basin.

Two gray eyes stared back at me, along with a straight nose, high cheekbones, and a cupid’s bow mouth. I also had what most would consider being a rat’s nest living on my head, and dirt on my face from the rigging.

I looked back at her, “Not every girl is beautiful, Tiger Lilly.”

She narrowed her eyes, “That, Ebony, is where you are wrong.”

Tiger Lilly then spent the next four hours trying to detangle my hair. I cannot tell you how much coconut oil was used, nor the number of curse words that spewed from my lips.

“Why do people do this to themselves?” I pouted, as she washed the oil out for what had to be the fiftieth time.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if you had bothered to brush it in the last decade. There!” She turned me around and grabbed the mirror.

My wet hair was the color of fresh chestnuts. It was thick and had a bit of a curl to it. It fell just below my breasts. My face had been freshly scrubbed, and my lips had a sticky substance on them that made them shine.

“What did you do to me?” I grabbed the mirror out of her hand staring at my reflection. I looked like a girl...no, like a woman.

Tiger Lilly grinned, “This is only the beginning!”

I found my clothes being ripped from my body. She was rather strong for a Princess.

“You wrap your breasts?” she recoiled in horror.

I flushed, “They are obnoxiously large, and I can’t fit into my father’s shirts unless I do.”

Tiger Lilly huffed, “You need a corset, thankfully I have plenty.”

She raced off, and I looked down at the coarse cloth I had used to wrap my breasts. Slowly I began to unwind the fabric, wincing when the blood rushed back into my flesh.

My breasts were full for my slight frame, and I had always been embarrassed by them. I cupped them in my hands wondering what they were really necessary for anyway.

Tiger Lilly walked in with an armful of clothing.

“Gracious,” her eyes widened.

“What?” I said defensively.

She shook her head, “Never mind. Let’s get you out of those drawers, seriously Eb, could you not wear lady’s underwear?”

No one had ever given me a choice.

“I thought this was what everyone wore?”

She held up a scrap of peach lace, “And you mocked me for packing too much. It is a good thing I did.”

Little did I know that things were about to become a whole lot more intrusive.