"Man… Today was quite the day!" said Jake, throwing his arms up while walking through the beach with the rest of his friends.
"It really was…" Cubby agreed, a huge smile plastered on his face.
"It went by in a whim… Still feels like this is all a dream…" said Izzy, tightly hugging her body.
"Need me to pinch ya, or in my case, peck ya?" squeaked Skully.
"No thanks!" said Izzy, sticking her tongue out.
"You were a total nervous wreck, Cubby!" teased Jake.
"Jake, you were so excited that you couldn't stay still for two seconds, so I don't think you're allowed to speak here" Cubby shot back.
"And Izzy was always zoning out!" Skully added.
"I think Skully was chewing on my hair…" said Izzy suspiciously, lifting a few strands of hair which did look a bit chewed. And suddenly, Skully went quiet.
"The best part of the ceremony was when the medals were handed out!" said Jake, checking his right pocket for something.
"Nah… It was when Peter was speaking!" Cubby said.
"I think it was the food" Izzy said, remembering all the delicacies provided.
"The whole day was amazing, in my opinion" Skully added. This made everyone go through the memories of the day yet again, smiling proudly about it.
It all started normally, with the crew waking up and going about their morning routine of freshening up and breakfast. But it lingered in everyone's minds that today was not a normal day. Today was the day they would officially be appointed sub- protectors!
Ever since the whole realm of nightmares incident, they were kinda nervous. Either two things would happen. One, they would be appointed sub- protectors without any other test or problems as Peter said, but they all thought that as a bit impossible considering the bad luck they have. Two, they'd have to take yet another test, which would be just as grueling and hard as the previous one which may lead them to failing and never becoming sub- protectors.
But one day, Peter and the rest of the Council came to visit them. Yes, you heard that right, the whole Council. Jake was overwhelmed, Cubby was scared, Izzy was confused, and Skully was freaking out over how messy their living room looked. But everyone was surprised when they were given the news.
"In the previous month, you were given missions to complete, testing each of you individually and as a team too. And we are all very happy to say, that you've all been chosen as the sub- protectors of a part of the north-eastern area of Neverland South" were Peter's words, which left everyone wide eyed.
After the whole talking part, they were served some food and tea as a part of hospitality and left after a short while.
"Wow… This is real" exclaimed Jake, slumping down onto the sofa after they left.
"It is…" said Cubby, leaning on the dining table and pushing back his hair.
"When did they say was the whole ceremony thingy?" Skully asked.
"Next week on Wednesday" Izzy replied.
Fast forward to Wednesday, they were standing at the meeting area of all the protectors and sub- protectors. Everyone, from the sub- protectors of Neverland East, West, North and South, to the protectors and Peter were present. It was a party-like setting, with lights hanging through the trees to the huge tables of food and drinks, but the atmosphere seemed formal and professional.
Formal attire was worn by everyone, and that included our crew too.
Jake, who always chose comfort over looks, was wearing a simple white shirt and tie with a black coat with gathered cuffs on top. His black pants kinda looked like sweat pants, which made Skully worried that it didn't fit the occasion. And of course, sneakers.
Cubby, on the other hand, was wearing a baby blue coat with matching jeans. Underneath, was a white T-shirt. He was a bit nervous, as he saw that Jake didn't go full formal, but was relieved when he saw many other people wearing suits.
Izzy was wearing a beautiful pink dress with a fitted top and big, poofy skirt. The skirt went just below her knees, and the dress had small little designs on it. She was wearing heels, and her hair was let down.
Skully didn't really have much options, cause well, he's a bird. But he took his bandanna off. That was all he did. The rest of the time his human friends got ready, he spent fretting over Jake's dressing choice and style.
But of course, dresses weren't the most important things that evening.
"Jake, Izzy, Cubby, Skully! Come over to the back!" Tootle's voice called from the other side as soon as they arrived, and so they did as he said.
They spent some time chatting with the protectors and Peter, and soon it was time to go in front of the crowd. The Council and the crew were standing on an elevated stage, while the other sub-protectors were sitting on the chairs laid out in front of the stage.
"Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well and fine this evening. We've all gathered here to welcome four new people… er, three new people and one new parrot, into our community" announced Peter, through a mic.
"They are going to be guarding a part of the north-eastern part of Neverland South, and they are Jacob Wynn, Isabelle Clemente, Cubby Beauregard and Skully" he spoke into the mic. Each of the crew members entered the stage one by one, anxious but excited, when their names were called.
"Each of these people, and parrot, have shown tremendous courage and responsibility from the tests we've given them. Now, if each of you would step up here. Lift your right arm, and wing, up and repeat the sub-protectors pledge along with me," said Peter.
After the pledge, each of them was given medals to congratulate and remind them of their duty. By the end of the ceremony, the crew was left feeling very happy and proud of themselves.
"This is going on the shelf in the living room" Izzy thought happily, holding her medal.
"I once again congratulate you for your accomplishment. And with that done, let's get on with the most fun part of this evening! Everyone, make sure you enjoy yourself!" said Peter, stepping down from the stage and slipping into the crowd to talk to the people.
"Come on yall!" Slightly, one of the protectors, called out to the crew.
The atmosphere suddenly went from professional to a family gathering-like one. Everyone seemed to know each other here, seeing that everyone was chatting along like old friends. And the only ones who were standing in a corner alone were Jake, Izzy, Cubby and Skully. That was, until someone approached them.
"Hello there! Don't just stand there alone! Come on, come talk with us!" said a man with a thick accent, who pulled the crew into a huge group of people.
Evening soon turned into night, and the festivities continued on. The crew had gotten separated a long time ago, with Jake getting pulled along by the guy with the thick accent, Izzy talking to a group of other people from Neverland North (where she was originally from). Cubby was talking to a boy his age, who seemed to be as shy as him if not even more and Skully found some other animals whom he could talk to.
By the time people started leaving, it was already past midnight. Around 2 in the morning, the crew also found each other and planned to leave. It was getting pretty late, and only a few numbers of people remained. They bid their goodbyes to the protectors and Peter, and boarded Bucky.
"I'm tired…" said Cubby, trying to suppress a yawn but failing.
"I seriously didn't expect a full-on party out there," said Jake. You could hear the tiredness even in his voice.
"No kidding… My sleep schedule is gonna get messed up cause of this" Izzy said, leaning onto the railing and staring at the sea.
"No way Izzy, you have a sleep schedule?" Jake teased weakly. Everyone knew how Izzy was, sleeping late but still waking up early.
"You all have bags under your eyes" said Skully, concerned but at the same time amused. His friends, who were always so energetic and upbeat, were close to passing out.
And that led to the team reaching Pirate Island and agreeing to take a walk before freshening up and going to bed, though Cubby didn't seem too enthusiastic about taking a bath.
"It'll make my sleepiness go away!" he complained.
Right now, they were about to reach the entrance to the hideout and finish their walk.
"One of the people there told me that we were the first sub-protectors to be chosen in a while now… After that Archer guy went missing, the protectors started being more careful with everything" Jake said.
"That's why there was this much of a huge party… Usually it's just a ceremony and some drinks and we're out" he added.
"Everyone there were so much older than us…" Skully said, remembering all the people and animals he met.
"I talked to a guy who was kinda about our age… He was chosen five years before us" Jake said.
"Everyone's so different… It's so cool" said Izzy, shivers running down her from remembering all the different personalities present there.
"I wonder what other adventures await us!" Cubby said, adding a bit of dramatic flair to his words.
"But before any of that, we gotta get some sleep! To bed, all of you!" said Skully, opening the entrance to the hideout and ushering them in.
Of course, even though they were as tired as an ox after a full day's work in the field, their laughter could be heard even after getting yelled at by Skully to go to sleep.
Author's note:
And that's that! They're now officially sub-protectors! Woohoo! I took this one nice and easy after the past 7 chapters, to give some time for our crew to rest. I think the most fun part about writing this whole thing was deciding the outfits for Jake, Izzy and Cubby. I was scrolling through Pinterest like an animal! I want to add the links to the outfits here, and I tried to, but it just doesn't seem to be working so I let it go.
Thanks again so much for reviewing angelayan183 and Yavuz! It makes me really happy to see your reviews! As for the person who switched the missions, it's a mystery, angelayan183… *wink wink* haha… And, good luck with your fic Yavuz! I'm so excited to read it! From the short summary you gave, it sounds really interesting! Thanks again both of you for reviewing!
I hope everyone liked this one-shot. Feel free to leave a review telling me what you liked and didn't like! Thank you, I'll see you next Sunday and until then, good bye!