Chapter Three:

Letter From the Mainland

(The Next Morning)

Izzy POV

The pixie dust flight home was longer and more exhausting than I had anticipated. To be honest I think it took longer to get back from the mainland than it did to get there. However before my departure I had stopped by a little thing called a "coffee shop" and there I got (ok maybe I stole) the magical liquid that pumped me up to make the trip: Caffeine.

Fatigue clung to my every joint, and my arms and legs felt like lead weights by the time I landed back on Pirate Island. The anticipation of escaping that prison was the only thing keeping me going, but now, in the quiet serenity of my island home, all my problems that I knew I still had to deal with could be set aside for one minute. The light of dawn would be peeking over the horizon soon and I was glad I had made it back on time. As I sneaked back into our hideout, I caught sight of Jake, Cubby, and Skully sound asleep in their beds. Relief washed over me, and I let out a quiet sigh. I couldn't wait to collapse on my own bed and escape into the embrace of much-needed sleep. Minutes later, I found myself lying in my familiar bed, the worn-out mattress a comforting reminder of home.

Just as I began to drift into a deep slumber, a sudden interruption shattered the peace. Jake, well-rested and full of energy, had decided that today was the right day to wake up early and go exploring.

"Wake up Izzy! It's Tuesday and you know what that means!"

"Oh no," I mumbled to myself, hiding my head under my pillow. "Go away!"

"Aw c'mon Iz, no time for slacking. Especially right now. Peter said to be on the watch for anything out of the ordinary."

"Like what?" He shrugged.

"I don't know. He didn't say."

"He has a tendency to do that doesn't he?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"I guess you could say that. But he just said to be on the lookout for any strangers. But other than that, it's been forever since you've gone exploring!"

"You don't know the half of it," I grumbled, thinking of my late night adventure and getting tired all over again. "I crashed Bucky in a hurricane, remember? How ya gonna get there anyway?" I asked. He smirked and then reached for the golden pouch around my neck and then caressed it gently. I shook the dark velvet string off my neck and let him take it, much to his surprise. I then collapsed back on my bed. "Go ahead. Take it. Have fun. And make sure to get it wet so you can never come back."

"Aw come on. Don't make me order you." he warned, re-establishing his captain-hood and authority over me.

"Jake, no. You're a boy. I'm a girl. You're built for this stuff. I'm not."

"Then what are you built for?" I lifted my head up.

"Picking flowers. Doing my hair. Polishing my fingernails. Sound familiar? Now leave me alone!" I whined. I knew I sounded awfully mean but I couldn't help it. I was just too tired.

"Alright that's it!" I heard him declare, and quite terminally. I quickly got scared. I suddenly snapped wide awake when I felt him get a good grip on my upper torso and he dragged me off my bed.

"Lemme go!" I shrieked, trying to jolt myself out of his grasp. "I'm gonna bite you."

"Izzy if you're gonna act like a baby I'm gonna treat you like one!" After thirty more seconds of my useless wriggling, an idea popped in my mind and I smirked evilly. I stopped squirming for a few seconds to reach up and pull his red bandana over his eyes. "Ey!" he let out letting go of me, aka dropping me.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, hitting the ground hard, despite that being what I wanted.

"Oops. Sorry."

"I just got my legs back! What are you trying to do, break 'em again!?" He patted me on the head and then picked me up again (I didn't bother squirming this time) and then placed me back on my bed.

"Look I know you're delicate Iz. Especially after what happened. But I promise we'll be extra careful with you."

"That's not quite what I'm worried about," I said, rubbing my tired eyes and then letting out one last yawn. "Oh alright. Yo ho let's go." I said with the least bit of enthusiasm.

"Great!" Jake exclaimed, quickly snatching my wrist and dragging me behind him.

Jake POV

Getting Izzy out of bed was no easy job, but honestly nothing with her was anymore. Besides, our enthusiasm for the day's adventure overpowered any reluctance she had. The golden pouch around her neck was the key to our exploration today, and after a bit of banter, she showered us in its sparkly embrace.

As we soared through the skies, thanks to the pixie dust, Cubby and I marveled at the breathtaking view. Skully chirped happily as he glided beside us. We descended onto a secluded beach in Neverland, a perfect spot for our quick break. Without wasting a moment, I threw off my vest and bandana, (I had changed into board shorts similar to Cubby's) and Cubby and I charged into the water, ready for some pirate roughhousing. The cool waves embraced us as we splashed and tackled each other, reveling in the freedom of the moment. Skully circled overhead, shaking his approval.

However, my excitement faded when I noticed Izzy lying in the sun, seemingly uninterested in joining us and I rolled my eyes at the sight. She was just lying there, her hands acting as a pillow for her head as she stared up at the bright blue sky looking like there was something heavy on her mind. But what? I approached her, puzzled by her melancholic behavior and asked her if anything was wrong. However she simply explained that she was just reluctant to get her hair wet and wanted to keep its flowy perfection. Yeah right. That might be true but there was more to it than that. Why doesn't she just admit it? Why doesn't she just admit that she's just too mature for us stupid boys? I swear she acts more and more like a girl every day!

Although her reluctance to dive into the fun left me feeling a hint of sadness, I was more irritated than sad. I couldn't understand why she had forgotten the tomboyish spirit that she once had. Her choice to sunbathe instead of joining us only fueled my confusion and disappointment.

And the more I think about it the more I remember of her purposefully missing out on everything. Our adventures, our treasure hunts, our expeditions. It all seemed to just mean nothing to her now. I didn't get it. Was she scared? Still traumatized? If not then why did she even call herself a pirate anymore? Why doesn't she just go back to the real world so she can really be mature if that's what she wants?

"Jake, would you stop staring at her already?" Cubby asked, splashing water at me to get my attention. "It's not gonna change her mind. She doesn't wanna come in and she isn't gonna come in. Now stop obsessing over it and let's go for a deep dive and leave her in peace and quiet."

"What? Is us not even talking to her, not peaceful and quiet enough for her?" I asked, folding my arms. I felt the air from Skully's flapping wings ruffle my black hair as he perched on my head.

"Jake's got a point, Cubby. Izzy's been quiet and moody all day. Although I don't think she's trying to be rude or condescending towards us. Maybe she's just tired. Maybe she's sick." the parrot suggested.

"Maybe she knows what's got Peter so spooked and alarmed lately." Cubby suggested.

"Do you think so?"

"Hey, she's lived here for fifty years, Jake. This is Neverland. Anything is possible."

"Anything is possible, Skully. Except that." I blurted.

"What I'm saying is…just try not to worry about it too much. Izzy'll come around. She always does!"

"Except when she didn't when she lost her sanity." I reminded them.

"Jake, I wouldn't bring that up anymore if I were you. Especially in front of her." Cubby warned his turquoise eyes squinted.

"Cubby's right matey," Skully chirped. "You might hurt her feelings. Maybe that's what's bothering her. You never know until you ask."

"I did ask. And the answer was 'But Jake, I don't wanna get my hair wet'." I mocked in a high pitched feminine voice. Cubby stared at the water, rubbing his chin in bewilderment before looking up at me again.

"Did she really say that?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"I don't know Jake. I think there's more to it than that." the blonde boy said, still deep in thought.

"Oh I do too Cubby. But what?" I demanded to know.

"I don't know but something is definitely going on with her and if she doesn't wanna tell us then that is her choice and we won't interfere." the blue eyed boy stated. I scoffed.

"Yes Cubby because that worked out so well when that parasite-like thing infected her."

"Jake, one moody teenage girl is enough. I don't need another one. Now let's go swim on it and maybe the answer will come to us."

"Fine."

Izzy POV

"No wonder there's money in caffeine," I say to myself as I cover my eyes with my arms and let out a nice big yawn. "Boy am I tired." I could tell the boys were a little hurt when I refused to go swimming with them, but I was much too tired. I felt bad. I wanted to go be around them, believe me. The last "adventure" I had was when…..well I can't even remember now. But I would have to worry about them later. I had way too many things on my mind right now. Where had my mother gone? When did Ria get there? Why did she have seven children when my parents forbade themselves from having more than one? And then I thought of Nikki. I'd accept Ria as a sister if it meant that little boy could be guaranteed as my nephew. He just looked so sad and helpless and trapped. But there was nothing I could do about it.

Well maybe there was but…

NO! Peter would probably kill me! Well…that was if he found out. No Izzy! What am I thinking!? Jake and Cubby and Skully would never speak to me again-well not like they were right now. But still…oh how lonely little Nikki looked! He was…..he was just like me. And if not that he was me. History was repeating itself and I only knew until now - forty something years later. But was he really worth the three hour flight it took to get to the Caribbean? Was he worth Jake getting mad at me all over again for being tired and moody? As much as I hate to admit it, I had only known him for a day and…no….he wasn't.

What should I do? Do I go back or do I stay here and forget about it? The high road or the low road?

Well, I know what to do right now. Sleep.

Cubby POV

The clear waves embraced Jake and me as we swam further and further from the beach, leaving Izzy behind in peaceful solitude. Skully circled above, his wings casting fleeting shadows on the water. I couldn't help but notice Jake's unease, a subtle flicker in his eyes that showed his concern for Izzy being alone. Dressed in what she was dressed in, she could easily become the prey of a pirate with his own dirty intentions….again.

"Hey, Jake, you alright, matey?" I asked, splashing a bit of water in his direction.

"Of course, Cubby! Just enjoying the swim." he replied with a forced grin, but I could sense something more beneath the surface.

We continued our journey, the shore becoming a distant blur as we ventured into deeper waters. Skully's chirps resonated with the rhythmic splash of our strokes. It was then that I noticed a glimmer in the water, something sparkling beneath the surface.

"Jake, check that out!" I exclaimed, pointing towards the mysterious shimmer. His curiosity rising, the teen treaded water beside me.

"What?" he asked.

I reached down, my fingers brushing against a glass bottle with a cork plug, half-buried in the waves. Excitement bubbled within me as I fished it out, revealing a rolled-up piece of paper inside.

"Look!" I said, bringing the bottle closer to him. "There's a paper in there! It could be a treasure map of some sort! It's been ages since we've found one of those!" I grinned, holding the bottle aloft. "And it looks almost new! Its destination could be out there still! Undiscovered!"

Jake's eyes widened with curiosity, momentarily forgetting his unease.

"Lemme see," he said as he took the bottle from me and gave it a good long examination through the glass. My enthusiasm dropped when I saw his smile droop. "Wouldn't get too excited if I were you Cubster. This isn't a map, it's a letter of some sort."

"Huh? How do you know?"

"Well just take a good look at the paper through the glass. There's nothing but writing. No pictures or X or anything." I took the bottle from him.

"Some pirates we are." I pouted.

"Aw don't get upset mate," Jake comforted, putting an arm on my shoulder whilst the two of us continued to tread water. "There's plenty of treasures waiting there for you and me to find." he said, pointing towards the horizon.

"You and me?" I repeated, going from disappointed to confused. "What about Izzy?"

"She's got more important things to do. Like looking at herself in a mirror." he grumbled. I scowled and splashed water into his face, making him cough and spit.

"What was that for!?" he exclaimed, as if he truly didn't know.

"Take a guess buddy." I sneered. "Stop being so mean to her! You acted like the world was ending when we lost her and now you could care less!" I let him finish coughing and rubbing his eyes and then sighing.

"Aw Cubby I'm sorry," he said with a sad smile. "You know I don't mean anything by it. All three of you guys are everything to me."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Izzy!"

"I will I told you! Now let's go back. I don't like leaving her alone with old feather hat and his crew of perverts lurking around." he said, glaring at the horizon.

"What about the message in the bottle?" I asked.

"We can take it with us. After all, who knows what could be in it?"

Jake and I swam back to shore, the excitement and eagerness to know what was in the bottle hung in the salty air. When we reached the beach, Izzy, drawn by the commotion, came running down to meet us, her silhouette adorned by the warm hues of the setting sun. That was funny. Whenbit was the middle of the day she looked half dead. But now, she was vibrant and full of life, a stark contrast to the subdued solitude we had left her in earlier. It was almost as if she lost her energy during the day and regained it at night.

"Izzy look!" I exclaimed, holding up our new discovery.

"What've you got there fellas?" she asked in the happiest tone we had heard in so long.

"We think it's a message Iz." Jake said, his mood seeming to have lightened with Izzy change in behavior.

"What kind of massage?" she asked with a curious smile as Skully perched on her shoulder.

"That's what we're gonna find out," our leader said as he took the bottle from me, unscrewed the lid-for some strange reason, this bottle did not have a cork but rather a small metal lid, pulled out the paper and scanned it. "Huh, that's odd." he said, squinting.

"What's it say!?" Izzy, Skully and I all let out in unison. Jake lowered the letter out of his sight and turned his gaze towards the short lass standing next to me.

"It's…..it's addressed to you Iz." he blurted out.

"Me?" Izzy repeated in both bewilderment and excitement.

"Who's sending you letters?" Jake asked. Izzy shot him an insulted glare before taking the letter from him, facing her back towards him and looking down at it.

"Well you see Jake before I got older and lost all my value in life and before you came around and I was put in your shadow people in Neverland actually knew I existed and liked to check up on me once in a while."

"Izzy, that's not what I meant. What I meant was…who sent it? And why?"

"Uhm….good question," she said, and began to blush. "I uh…..I have no clue."

"Uh huh. Sure. Now just would this letter have anything to do with what you were doing last night and why you're so exhausted?"

"What do you mean what I was doing last night!? I was sleeping!" Izzy shot back.

"With who?" Jake uttered. Izzy crossed her arms and squinted.

"If you wanna be funny you can at least be clean about it." she sneered through her teeth.

"So whatcha hiding Izzy?" the green eyed boy asked slyly. "Or who are ya hiding?"

"Jake, you are being ridiculous! Now just to prove that we have no secrets, you can read the letter." she announced as she proudly handed it to him. Jake swiped it from her, unrolled it and began to read.

"Dear Isabella, please come back. I really miss you and need you. There are many things we still need to talk about."

"WHAT!?" Izzy yelled. I swear her echo was loud enough to make the ground shake. Jake rolled the letter back up and crossed his arms.

"So no secrets huh?" he asked, clearly displeased with Izzy.

"Give me that!" the pirate girl exclaimed as she tried to take the letter from him, but Jake only held it up out of her reach-which to be honest was not that high.

"Not until you explain this to us." the oldest teen stated. Izzy growled and stopped trying to jump up and grab the paper, excepting the fact that she was now the shortest of us all. Instead she reached into her pixie dust pouch and quickly sprinkled the yellow dust all over herself before shooting up and snatching the letter from our leader. With it now in her hands, she ascended a bit higher so we couldn't reach her. Izzy unrolled the scroll and her eyes started to dart about the small message.

"This is unbelievable!" she exclaimed, crumpling the paper to her chest.

"It sure is. Now would you like to tell us what you've been hiding?" Jake asked. Izzy lowered herself down to the ground, her face full of desperation.

"Jake for the life of me, I swear I have never gotten a letter like this before and I haven't the slightest clue who it's from or what they are talking about!" the girl exclaimed, holding up the letter once more. But the raven haired boy had a look on his face as if he were about to say: I think you know exactly who it's from.

"Hey wait a minute Izzy." I said, noticing something on the backside of the paper.

"What?"

"There's….there's something on the back of the page," I said, pointing at it. "Look." With little hesitation she quickly turned it over to reveal a few single scribbles.

"What's it say?" Skully squawked.

"To Isabella, from…the Caribbean." she said and then looked up and stared into the blue.

"The Caribbean?" I repeated, rubbing my chin.

"Iz….".Jake started. "Isn't that ... .where you came from?"

"Possibly." Izzy said quietly, looking down at her feet.

"What do you mean possibly? Either you did or you didn't."

"What difference does it make Jake?" she asked, not wanting to go over the topic further.

"It makes quite the difference to whoever sent it."

"Yeah Izzy," I added. "It sounds like they need your help!"

"Well….they're not getting it."

"They who? Do you even know?" I asked.

"If I didn't, that's all the more proof of why this letter is a bunch of nonsense because I'm never going back there as long as I live!" the pirate lass exclaimed.

"Izzy, just why exactly did you leave again?" Jake asked, his arms and shoulders in a shrug position. "It's not like you had three older brothers pushing you around."

"Yeah," I added. "And you didn't get lost on your way to a boarding school and end up in an orphanage!" She put her hands behind her back and squinted at us.

"You think you know everything there is to know about me don't you?" she asked.

"Uhm….no?" I squeaked.

"Well you should. I've told you guys this a million times; I messed up in that world. I did my time there and it wasn't nice." Izzy said, scratching the back of her neck.

"Oh please Izzy. You're acting like it was jail." Jake scoffed. The girl looked up at him.

"Who's acting?" she asked before looking back down at the sand with what seemed to be bad memories flooding her mind. "The night I left my father was about to kill me. And my mother….the woman has hated me all her life," She started to pull on her golden brown locks of flowing hair. Funny that she didn't wanna get it wet yet she's fine with pulling and tugging at it, her face in the expression of someone having a migraine. "And what I did and what I said to her that night was the final straw. Jake put his hands on his hips. He didn't look moved by her dry sob story however he didn't look irritated or in disbelief.

"Take it from me Iz," he started. "Unless you burnt down an island there or went insane, there's nothing that you could have done there that was as bad as what I did." Izzy let go of her hair and her face went from sadness to disbelief.

"Oh really?" she questioned, unconvinced. "What did you do?" Jake paused and stared at her for a while as if he were waiting for her to take her statement back. But when she didn't he told her.

"When I was in my first year of preschool I stuck a tack on a teacher's chair. Second year I stuck a needle in her apple. When I was in kindergarten I gave another kid a black eye by chucking a rock at him. When I was in first grade I snipped seven inches of a girl's hair off with scissors. When I was in second grade my oldest brother told me to drop out and help him spray paint a building. To make a long story short I got expelled but not long before Peter came." Jake concluded, knowing he had proved his lieutenant wrong. Izzy remained silent, stunned at the information.

"Alright, maybe you were a little brat but that changes nothing," she said, starting to walk away. "Now the sun is starting to set, we have to get back home, I'm going to throw this letter away and no questions will be asked."

"Aw come on Izzy!" I pleaded, grabbing at her arm. "Whoever sent it clearly needs help!"

"So? It was addressed to me and me alone! Therefore, it is none of your business whether or not I do something about it." the lass said, trying to pry my scrawny fingers off of her wrist. She eventually succeeded and strutted away, when Jake rolled his eyes and grabbed her shirt, making Izzy jerk back despite the fact that he used as little effort as possible. He lifted her by the underarms like a helpless toddler and placed her down in the mits of us.

"The heck it isn't Izzy," he stated. "You aren't going anywhere without us."

"Yeah," Skully confirmed, perching on Jake's shoulder. "And that's an order!"

"Woah woah woah, hold your seahorses, fellas. I never even said I was gonna do anything or go anywhere," she reassured. "Now this letter was for me. And if I don't think I can handle it then I won't."

"But Izzy you would handle it if you could right?" I chirped.

"Well I'm not saying I couldn't handle it but that doesn't mean I should handle it." she explained.

"But Izzy, if you could handle it then you would handle it right? So that means that you should handle it!" From that I only received a blank and bewildered stare not just from Izzy but Jake and Skully as well. The lass in pink quickly shook her head as if to shake off the confusion and then put her hands on her hips.

"This is getting us nowhere Cubby. And that's because we have nowhere to go. We're all staying right here. Now let's go home before I go insane again!" she said, tearing the note into pieces and then stomping away, leaving me and Jake a few feet behind.

"What do you think is going on?" I whispered to him.

"I have no idea," he answered. "But something tells me Izzy does."

To Be Continued...

Finally we are back in Neverland! If anybody's wondering, I'm not rushing through these chapters and then posting them without thinking. I never post a chapter unless I 100% think it's ready. Chapters 1 - 5 have already been completed and proof read and that is how far I've gotten. However, I'm nearly done with putting the plot together and honestl now that I think of it...I think this one might actually surpass the first story.

Anyways, review as much as you want! They are much appreciated. :)