Good news! My chapters are finally saving now! So I'll be able to keep updating on here! The next chapter isn't finished, but while we wait, enjoy this chapter that I originally scrapped. It's not much but it's something.

December 9 - (Three years ago)

I carefully balanced the stack of freshly washed dishes, my small hands struggling to hold the weight of the heavy plates. Skully, ever watchful, flapped above me, keeping an eye out for any potential dangers. The ship's galley was cramped, and maneuvering with the dishes was like navigating a maze. Izzy was currently absent for a moment. She was only eleven years old yet she was doing the labor of grown men. She had been thrown overboard-tide on a rope like a fish-to go and scrape barnacles, kelp and heaven knows what else off of the rudder to make it function properly, which right now was no picnic. We were in the middle of winter and the water was ice cold. The skies were clear and could easily be mistaken for those of a summer day but the air was crisp and chilly. But still, we did our daily chores.

"Cubby?" I heard Skully chirp from above.

"Yeah Skully?" I answered, not looking up at him though. I was too scared to take my eyes off where I was going.

"How much longer do you think we're gonna be stuck on this darn boat?" he asked.

"Well me and Izzy are the ones stuck Skully. You can fly away whenever you want." I replied.

"Pfff! Like I would ever leave you guys here! You need somebody to look out for you." he quickly replied. I giggled a little bit at his concern.

"Skully, I'm not a baby. I'm gonna be ten soon! Before we know it all I'll be twelve! Almost a teenager!"

"Almost Cubby. Almost. And I wouldn't get too excited about it if I were you." the green bird lectured.

"Aw I don't know Skully. Maybe growing up isn't as bad as we made it out to be."

"Well livin' on a ship with all these clowns sure is! How long do you think it's gonna take for Jake or Peter to come back?" Something inside of me started to sting at those words and I almost dropped the stack of plates I was carrying.

"That's a good question. I wish I knew the answer." I lied. I couldn't care less about our old captain of the self-proclaimed 'guardian of Neverland'. Boy if I were Jake, I'd hate to know what was going through Izzy's mind. Oh who needs the little green eyed rat? Not me!

"Skully you should go see if Izzy's alright. I've been pretty worried about her after they threw her into the ocean."

"Alright Cubby. Just…be careful and….don't upset anybody." the parrot said in a cautious tone.

"Me? Upset anybody?"

"Well you've been a little bit….cocky lately." he said timidly.

"Well I'm not a little scaredy cat anymore! Been there, done that! I'll be fine. Now go check up on Izzy." I insisted.

"Oh alright." the parrot said, before flapping away.

Hah! Cocky. Who does he think I am—

*CRASH*

Just as I thought I had made it to the galley, I collided with a burly pirate, causing the dishes to slip from my grasp. They crashed to the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces. My heart sank as I heard the sound of breaking porcelain.

"Watch where you're going, you little runt!" the pirate barked, his face contorted in anger.

" 'Ay, why don't you watch where you're going!?" I shot back. The man looked shocked that I, the little blonde hair, blue eyed 4'8" coward had just yelled at a six foot grown pirate. He towered over me, his menacing presence sending a chill down my spine.

"Did you just talk back to me shrimpo?" he asked, getting in my face like a hungry predator.

"Well that's uh…that's how a conversation works isn't it?" I stuttered with a new found anxiety as the man grabbed the collar of my blue vest.

"Who said I ever wanted to have a conversation pipsqueak?" he growled. The pirate then regained full posture, lifting me off the ground by gripping onto my vest.

"H-h-hey man, uh, I was only kidding!" I laughed nervously.

"Kid me again and I'll stick one of those plates in a place where the sun never shines!"

"Move, you've done it!" I growled before I started clawing at him like a wild raccoon. "It wasn't even that funny!" I did anything I could to try and wiggle out of his grasp. Kick. Scratch. Bite. But nothing.

The pirate swung his fist at me, and I barely had time to react. His punch landed squarely on my cheek, sending me sprawling to the floor after he had dropped me. Pain shot through my face, and I tasted the metallic tang of blood in my mouth. I tried to get back on my feet, but the pirate grabbed my arm, yanking me up only to slam me against the wall. My vision blurred, and I felt the world spinning around me.

"Ohhhh." I moaned. I noticed the pirate was starting to slowly come at me. Oh me and my big mouth.

"Alright little boy, that was cute but also pathetic. Looks like I will need to teach you a lesson."

"O-o-o-oh no sir. I-I-I-I'll shut up! I promise!"

"Well lad, a little thing about promises; They can be broken. Just like your neck. Now hold still, because this is really going to hurt." I gulped and then cringed, my eyes closed tight as if they had been pasted shut.

My heart pounded in my chest as the menacing pirate prepared to strike. Just when I thought I couldn't handle it anymore, a splash of cold seawater drenched the air. I turned my head to see Izzy, her clothes clinging to her body, her eyes fierce with determination despite her soaking state.

"Don't you touch him!" she shouted, her voice surprisingly strong for someone in her position. "Leave him alone!" I felt like a baby cub being defended by its mother bear.

But the man, undeterred, grabbed Izzy by her wet hair and effortlessly lifted her off her feet. She squirmed and kicked, trying to break free and was eventually successful. Izzy bit and clawed and scratched and climbed on top of the man, like a coyote trying to fight a bear. But the pirate quickly stopped Izzy once and for all, picked her up like a baby and then carried her squirming form over to a nearby trash barrel before finally shoving her into it. The impact was rough and Izzy found herself crammed inside, her knees pressed against her face, her feet in the air and her movements restricted.

Izzy strained, attempting to push herself out of the barrel, her muscles tense with effort. I was still on the ground, with a black eye and bruises everywhere. The pirate patted Izzy on the head and the lass tried to nip at him like a snapping turtle but her movements were restricted and she was unfortunately unable to do so.

"Now you just wait here. We usually dispose of the trash at sunset," he taunted. Satisfied with his cruel display, the pirate simply walked away, leaving Izzy trapped and defenseless, but not before she could stick her tongue out at him. She kicked her feet but still couldn't get out. "Maybe then ya little boyfriend will come back!" we heard the pirate's voice call. That only made Izzy kick her legs faster as her face flushed red and bent in was when I decided to stop sitting on the deck like an idiot and run over to help her. I grabbed one of her thin arms and pulled at it. Eventually the barrel tipped over, garbage spilling out of it and onto the deck. Izzy was finally able to wiggle free. As she stood up, I bent down and picked up her pink bandana which had fallen off her head sometime during the fight.

"Thanks Iz." I said timidly as I handed the bandana to her. To my shock, she yanked it right out of my hand and I flinched back.

"Well Cubby, if you would've shut your mouth this wouldn't have happened!" she snapped. "What were you thinking!? Are you insane!?"

"No." I answered, looking at the ground in shame.

"Do you wanna be Peter Pan!? Is that why you're acting like this!?"

"No."

"D-d-d-do you want to die!?"

"No."

"Then shut up and do what they tell you!" she barked. I was stunned. Izzy had never….never yelled at me like that. I knew she was just doing it for my own safety but that wasn't all. That sliver of a mention of Jake seemed to fume her up the moment she heard it. A minute of silence went by. The girl who stood before me sighed and then put her bandana back onto her head. "I'm sorry." I heard her mumble as she quickly walked away, disappearing behind the forecastle over to, I presumed the stern of the Jolly Roger.

A few minutes later I heard a loud splash that I assumed to be Izzy going back to clean the ship, her heart probably colder than the ice water she was swimming in. I dropped to my knees and started picking up the broken plates, cutting my hands in the process. This is when I realized this was not a game anymore. This was not even an adventure. This was reality. It was time to stop acting like Peter Pan and start doing whatever it took to survive.