I said new chapter in 5-7 days and it took me until the seventh day to get it out because this one is a LONG one.
Chapter 16 - Creepy Caper
Cubby POV
The next morning, I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept at all. The room was freezing, and the bed was as cold as the stone that made up the walls. It was like lying on an iceberg, except it didn't get warmer the longer you stayed on it. I couldn't help but envy Izzy, even with her snake bite. We had wrapped her up in another blanket before we left, so she was nice and cozy, dreaming sweet dreams while we shivered in this icy fortress. I felt a pang of guilt for being so difficult with Jake last night. I knew he was just trying to keep Izzy safe, to stop her from getting hurt again. But still, I couldn't help but be frustrated with him blaming this all on me.
I shuffled over to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. But instead of the warm glow of morning light, all I saw was…darkness. Pure, pitch-black darkness, like the world outside, had disappeared entirely. Everything was gone. There was no sky, no clouds, no ground, no mountains, no trees!
"Coconuts!" I whisper in shock. Jake headed over to me, rubbing his eyes.
"What the matter Cub…..," He removed his hands from his eyes to see the raw darkness that surrounded us. "What in Neverland!?"
"That is if we're even in Neverland, matey!" I let out. "What happened!?"
"I…I dunno!" Jake responded, slowly beginning to panic. "It's like they painted the windows black or something! But it's far too dark to be paint!"
"Crackers!" Skully squawked. "Mateys, do you think it could still be nighttime? Or maybe a storm?" he suggested. Jake shook his head.
"No Skully. If it was, we'd be able to see something. Last night we could see the moon and the stars but now there's nothing. And even the stormiest of storms aren't this dark." Jake answered, just as baffled as the rest of us. This was beyond weird. It was like daytime didn't even exist for this temple.
We decided not to dwell on it. Everything was out of whack as it was. We grabbed a small portion of fruit for breakfast and then set out to explore the temple, hoping to come up with a plan to escape this place.
But as we wandered the empty halls, it became clear that we were completely alone. We walked through the palace from top to bottom, but Ria was nowhere to be seen, Titan had vanished, and even the assistant girl was gone. It was just us, trapped in this eerie temple with no one but ourselves. I couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing.
Skully POV
I perched Jake's shoulder as he slowly nudged open the door to one of the temple's rooms. Inside, it's like a maze of towering shelves filled with books, stretching up to the darkness above.
"This must be the library." Jake mumbled.
"Well, it certainly isn't the bathroom." Cubby piped up. I tilt my head, curious.
"What do you suppose that creepy Ria lady needs a library for?" I squawk, wondering what kind of twisted knowledge she's hiding in here. Jake shrugs, his brow furrowed in thought.
"I don't know, Skully."
So, we start poking around. There are no windows, but even if there were, it wouldn't matter because outside didn't exist anymore. Cubby's all frantic, darting between shelves like a squirrel on a caffeine high.
"What are you looking for Cubby?" I asked him.
"A book on how to get out of here!" the blonde replied,continuing his search.
I flap around, trying to be helpful, when something catches my eye. There it is, sitting on a shelf, a book with a title that read: The Mystery of the Temple in the Hills. Huh. I wonder what that could be about. Maybe it would explain why nobody has ever seen this place before. Without wasting a second, I swoop down and grab the rim with my little parrot talons. Cubby turned to look at me, surprised. After a few minutes of tugging, I managed to yank the book out, feeling pretty proud of myself. The book hit the stone ground hard and Cubby came over and picked it up.
"What's this Skully?" he asked, inspecting the book.
"Crackers! Get a load of the cover mate!" I squawk.
"The Mystery of the Temple in the Hills." he read. "You mean to tell me….there's somebody out there who knows about this creepy place? Enough to write a book about it?" Cubby asked, wide eyed.
"Looks like it," I said. I turned my gaze towards the shelf where I had pulled the book from and gasped. "And it also looks like that Ria lady didn't want anybody else to know about this place either. Look." I said, pointing a wing at the shelf. Cubby looked where I was pointing, and saw that there were about twenty to thirty copies of this book all lined up on a single shelf. They all said the same thing: The Mystery of the Temple in the Hills. "Crackers! No wonder nobody's ever heard of this place!" I exclaimed. "And I'll bet that Ria probably stole each and every one of these to keep the Temple's history out of anybody's reach." Cubby looked down at the book in his scrawny hands.
"That is until now." he spoke. He then lifted his head and was about to say something but didn't. That was because we had both realized that someone was missing.
"Wait a minute Cubby….where did Jake go?"
Jake POV
I had slipped away from the library, for there was something in this temple I just had to see. I made my way down the hall, until I found the door that we were forbidden from. The girl who took my bandana had informed us that it was locked, but earlier today in our explanation of the temple, I had stumbled upon it, and it was cracked open a bit. They were hiding something in there. Something important. Something that they didn't want us to see. Something that could possibly change this whole ordeal. I just knew it. Cubby and Skully were busy in the library, so I figured I'd sneak off alone. If I got caught, at least they'd be safe.
The door creaked further open, revealing a set of stone steps disappearing into the pure darkness. My heart raced with excitement and a touch of fear. I didn't have my red bandana to catch the sweat that spawned on my forehead due to my nervousness. As I descended, the darkness enveloped me completely. But then, I noticed something strange. There were faint glimmers of light twinkling in the dark abyss below. Drunk with curiosity, I kept following the lights and so, I continued down the stairs.
As I climbed down the stairs, the atmosphere around me began to feel wet and moist. The lower I got, the more it seemed like this place was rat infested and decorated with mildew, but still, I kept going. When I reached the bottom, finally, I looked around. I had to be in some sort of cellar or something. The room was completely dark and completely empty. Well except for one thing. A table, a square wooden table in the middle of the room. On it were several books, papers, quills, pictures and candles that were the mere sources of light in this dark basement. Without thinking, I approached the table to inspect and what I saw shocked me.
There were pictures. Pictures of me. And Izzy. And Cubby. And Skully. Though the photos were all in black and white, it was unmistakably us. But they were most definitely not from any time recently. No, we all looked to be eight, seven and five years old. These photos had to be taken over ten years ago at the very least! I looked at one picture specifically. We were laughing and playing and trying to roughhouse each other, completely unaware that there was someone hiding in a bush or behind a tree, snapping photos of us and getting away with it. Somebody had been spying on us for all this time and we never noticed. It sunk deeper into my head. Somebody has been watching us.
And as if those photos weren't crazy enough, what I saw on a few of the other ones was downright unbelievable. It was not another picture of us but rather a picture of that strange girl who had stolen my bandana and escorted us to our room. I could tell it was her because of the long black hair, paper white skin and black eyes-though in the photo she seemed to be a bit younger. But she was not alone in the picture. In her arms, smiling and giggling was s seven year old Izzy. I couldn't believe it. She really did know Izzy. But how!? Izzy never mentioned having any other friends behind our backs! And I never remember seeing this girl ever. So for the twenty fifth time, WHO IS SHE?
I decided that Cubby deserved to see these photos as well, however I didn't think I should risk both of our lives by coming down here again. So instead, I shoved the pictures into whatever pockets of mine were available. Without looking I reached to pick up another photo, only to discover that it was not a photograph, but rather, a piece of paper. A very old piece of paper. I looked to see what was on it, and what I saw was by far the most confusing thing I've seen since we've been trapped in this Temple.
It was a poster. A missing child poster. And on it (above several lines of words) was a picture of none other than my first mate herself.
MISSING! HAVE YOU SEEN…
Name: Isabella Baxter
Age: 7 (DOB) May 11, 1900
Height: 3' 7"
Weight: 45 lb
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Reported Missing On: September 15, 1907 (PM)
If found in the near future, please report to any local authorities.
I swallowed hard and then flipped the paper over and there, stamped in bright blue ink was the word: COLD
"Jake!" I heard somebody hiss. I gasped and looked up towards the door, my heart pounding like crazy, thinking I had been caught. 'Oh no! They found me!' But then, I see Cubby's face peering down at me from the top of the stairs. Skully was perched on his shoulder and oddly enough, in one of his arms was a stack of about seven thin books.
"What in the sam hill are you doing down there!?" he hisses. I let out a breath that I didn't even realize I was holding.
"Oh, it's just you." I say, relieved, as I start trudging up the stairs towards him. When I reach the top we both step back out into the hallway. Cubby looks puzzled.
"How did you get in there?" he asked, pointing at the room full of darkness. "I thought that door was locked."
"Yeah, so did I. But it was wide open when I found it just now." I explain while finishing up tucking the last few photos in my back pockets.
"What was down there mate?" the parrot on his shoulder asked.
"You won't believe this, but I found—-."
I'm about to tell them about the stalker pictures when we all freeze at the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall. Cubby's eyes widened.
"Coconuts! S-s-somebody's coming!" he whispers.
"Crackers Cubby! How!? They were all gone this morning!" Skully squawked.
"Well, they're definitely back now! C'mon let's get out of here!" I exclaim, gently pulling the door shut behind us as we bolt back to our chamber, leaving the room behind. I never wanted to go in there again.
Skully POV
As Jake and Cubby rush back to our room, I quickly flap my wings and follow behind them, perched on Jake's shoulder. The adrenaline is pumping through my parrot veins as we make it back safely. Cubby tosses a stack of books onto the bed, and Jake swiftly locks the door behind us. I settle on a bedpost, watching the scene unfold.
Silence filled the room as Jake and Cubby stared at the pile of books. Finally, Cubby breaks the quiet.
"So what did you see down there?" he asked the black haired teen. Jake looked like he was about to explain but couldn't find the right words. He let out a sigh, reached into the pockets of his vest and pants and pulled out several photographs and folded papers.
"See for yourself." he said as he handed them to Cubby, who looked at them, curious.
I flew over and landed on his head so I could get a look as well. And in his hands were a bunch of pictures from a long time ago….of us!?
"Is this…..is this us?" Cubby asked, looking up from the picture in his hands.
"It sure is."
"Was I really that fat?" Cubby asked, looking at the pudgy appearance he had lost after working so hard and barely eating on his time aboard the Jolly Roger. Jake sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"Why did I think you were mature enough to handle this?" he asked, annoyed.
"Crackers! Who took these pictures anyway!?" I asked.
"That's just it, I don't know. But whoever did did a pretty good job at staying hidden." he told me.
"Well this is nice and creepy. But Jake," Cubby spoke, pointing to the picture of Izzy and the strange girl smiling at the camera together. "Isn't this Ria's assistant? Y'know, that girl that just locked us in here?" he asked. "What's she doin' with Izzy? Especially baby seven year old Izzy?"
"You can add that to the very long list of questions we have," the green eyed teen responded. "And those pictures aren't the only things I found down there."
"What else was there? A ouija board?" the blonde pirate boy asked, tossing the chilling pictures onto the bed.
"There may as well have been," Jake said. "It looked like a regular seance down there!" He reached into another one of his pockets and pulled out a really crusty and very faded piece of paper. "Now get a load of this." he said, handing Cubby the paper. He took it and examined it very carefully, but then looked rather confused.
"Who's Isabella Baxter?" he asked.
"Just look at that picture and take a guess Cubby." the other boy responded. Cubby's jaw gaped.
"You think this is Izzy!?"
"Well look at the dates. They fit just perfectly." he noted.
"Izzy has a last name?"
"We all did Cubby. We still do, we've just forgotten about them over all these years. And it looks like Ria has known us for all those years."
"Great. What's better than being trapped in a temple? Being trapped in a temple and learning you have a stalker of course." Cubby grumbled. Jake rubbed his chin as he looked at the pile of short novels on the bed. And finally, he spoke.
"So... what's with the books?" he squeaked.
"I found 'em in that library. And I thought that maybe in a way they could help us," he said as he grabbed one of the inch-thick books and handed it to Jake. "Guess what it's called." he added, and Jake squinted at the cover.
"The Mystery of the Temple in the Hills?" he read aloud. "Well it does seem like a good start. But why bring seven of them?"
"Well, matey, there were even more back in the library, but I only grabbed a few. It looks like Ria didn't want anybody to know that this book exists," Cubby explained. "So…"
"That's why we've never heard of it." Jake finished.
"Yeah. That's why it's also not on any map that I've ever seen. Well, when I had one at least," he grumbled, but then got back into focus. "See, when we get out of this temple and soon, I want to share these books with others so they know about it too."
"That is if we get out of here," Jake said, opening the book to reveal thick, coarse, yellow, dusty pages. However, he seemed very interested in the very first page. "Wait a minute," he said, shock coming into his voice once me. "The others may already have read this book."
"Huh?" Cubby let out.
"Look," Jake said, pointing at the premiere page of the small book. And there, written in some kind of makeshift pencil were the words: To: Captain Flynn "Cubby this book was meant for him," Jake noted. "Look at the others." he ordered. Cubby did as told to see if there were any other names of the residents of Neverland inscribed in the first page and sure enough, there were.
The blonde boy picked up another copy of the book and opened it to the very first page.
"This one says To: Red Jessica," he read. He put that copy down and picked up another one, opened it to the first page and then read, "To: The Pirate Genie," He picked up another one.Cubby only continued to open and read the first page of every copy we had brought from the library. "To: The Pirate Princess. To: Queen Coralin. To: Captain Hook!?"
"Crackers!" I exclaim. "This ol' book must be pretty important for someone to want everyone in Neverland to know about it! Even ol' feather hat!"
"Yeah Skully," Cubby agrees. "But why didn't we get a copy?"
"I don't know," Jake responds. "But what I do know is that all these books were stolen. But I can't imagine why. These things have gotta be about a hundred years old or somethin'! They're practically falling apart!" he exclaimed as he began to flip through the pages. "And some novel this is. Whoever wrote it completely chicken scratched it. And there's only about fifteen words per page. I don't know how much help this will be to us Cubby." He looked up from the book and faced Cubby, who just stared at him, arms crossed and a flat expression filled with irritation on his face.
"Cut the poppycock and just read the damn book Jake." the blonde demanded in a way that shocked us both. Our leader cleared his throat before he began.
"If I remember correctly it all began a long, long time ago, possibly near the very birth of Neverland and in the era of my own completion of the Forever Quest. One night, as I was flying around the (at the time) barely inhabited island of Neverland, I noticed something. An elegant stone structure had suddenly appeared in some of the lush mountains. I had never seen it before, nor did I know how it had come to be. But one thing was for sure, somebody lived in it.
Out of curiosity I knocked at the door and a woman answered it. I asked her what her name was and all I got was Mistress. "The Mistress of the Mountains." She proclaimed herself to be that of a sorceress. A sorceress whose magic was powerful, intricate and more complex than the secret of life. The things that she could do with it would blow any magical being out of the water. I questioned her how she had come to master such unimaginable power, but she responded that it was a mere gift to her existence.
I had just stumbled upon her home, the Temple in the Hills-an enormous magical structure that only appears at night and quickly fades away once the sun begins to rise. I asked her why this happened and she responded that despite her magic possibly being the most powerful spectrum I have come across, the temple was so incredibly enormous that even her magic alone was not strong enough to keep it up all day around-for it was a creation that derived from her power as well. And since she was connected to the Temple both she and it would continue to disappear every night unless she gets assistance from something that is possibly more powerful than she is and to make the Temple Stand all day long.
The mistress explained that she had been traveling from one dimension to the next in search of such a powerful source, but never found one. She did not look like she wished any harm, so I made the most foolish mistake of my life. I allowed her to stay in Neverland.
One fateful night, I made my monthly visit to Mount Destiny to see if all was still well and good with the Forever Tree after I had restored it. And there, I discovered the Mistress slashing away at it with a battleax, trying to harvest its magic for herself and for her temple, while at the same time, knowingly murdering the Forever Tree and all of Neverland along with it. We fought, and I was able to stop her and banish her far far beyond the Neverseas so she would never cause any harm to any of us again.
Many decades later, a small girl I had recently brought to Neverland came to me one night, very distressed. She said that as she was out exploring Neverland, she spotted a strange witch-like character, making her way to Mount Destiny. I immediately went to investigate and saw that none other than the Mistress herself had returned to Neverland to strip the Forever Tree of its magic once and for all. We fought once more, only this time there were more difficulties as she was at her full potential. But I was able to find her weakness.
Around her neck she wore a silver chained pendant, with the head of a snake-a ruby in it's mouth- as the centerpiece, though the ruby itself was a magical stone, better known as "The Heart of the Viper." This was where she obtained her unsurpassed power from. The ruby stone has the power to create and destroy anything its possessor' heart desires. It can even provide one who practices sorcery the power to resurrect. Though this may seem like a great gift to our world, it is the furthest thing from. Magic like this is too dangerous for anybody to handle. even one who has had over a century of experience switch it such as I.
And so, I did what I had to. I quickly got the Heart of the Viper necklace away from the Mistress and used it to defeat her by turning her into a mortal human infant and had the waves deliver her to the real world, where she would restart her life, only this time as a fully flesh human. And after I sent her afloat in a basket, I never saw her again.
After all that, I created a door, a magical seal to the Forever Tree that only I and a fellow forever quester could open. No one else can. However, I fear that the magic of the Heart of the Viper may just in fact be strong enough to destroy my newly created door. I attempted to destroy the ruby stone itself, only to be educated with the fact that I could not. It was indestructible. I knew I could not carry it with me for the rest of my immortal years in Neverland, so I dropped it in the deepest depths of the Neverseas hoping for it to never be discovered by anyone.
I thanked the young girl for alerting me for had she not, the Mistress would have probably gotten away with it and Neverland would be no more. To show my gratitude, I gifted her with pixie dust that granted her the ability to fly, so she could come to me whenever she needed me.
As for the Temple in the Hills, all I can say is that it is most likely no more. The night that the Mistress left Neverland, it left with her, never to be seen on another day or night. If I ever do see it return to its place in the mountains, then and only then will I know that the Mistress has made a return, somehow.
Now today, many years later, I cannot exactly prove to you that this legend from so long ago is true but that is how I remember it.
Yours Truly ~ Peter Pan."
To Be Continued...
I forgot to mention, new cover picture! Do we like this one or was the one with Izzy at the door better?
Also, all the chapters might be getting names soon. Wohoo!
As for who the assistant girl is, here's a hint: We have seen her before. Hmm...but where? Any guesses?