Chapter Eight
Outside the lighthouse, Izzy, Cubby, and Skully anxiously waited for Jake to return. The cold, rocky shore and the empty dinghy added to the eerie tension. Izzy stood with her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes fixed on the dinghy as if willing it to reveal some answers. Cubby shivered beside her, clutching Skully in a desperate attempt to create some warmth between them. Despite all the assurance, Cubby couldn't shake his worry about Jake.
Summoning a bit of courage, the young boy crept up behind Izzy and tapped her on the back.
"HAAAH!" Izzy let out a frightened shriek, before spinning around to see it was just Cubby. Her posture slumped as she let out a huge sigh of relief. "Cubby!" she hissed, still panting. "Did you have to do that!?"
"Oh, sorry matey…I didn't mean to spook you." Cubby muttered, still shaking.
"Uh y-you didn't!" Izzy lied, her cheeks flushed pink.
"Izzy, what's taking Jake so long?" Cubby asked, his voice trembling. "Do you think…somebody's up there with him?"
Izzy turned to face him, her expression a mix of confusion and concern.
"I don't know," she answered. "And I don't want to know." She turned back to the dinghy, still puzzled by its presence. Just as she was about to voice her thoughts, a deep, unfamiliar voice echoed from the forest.
Cubby's eyes widened in fear as he ducked behind Izzy, clutching her shirt tightly.
"C-c-coconuts! Who was that?" he stammered.
Izzy's heart raced, but she quickly masked her fear with bravado.
"G-good question," she whispered. "Why don't you and Skully go and uh.. check it out?"
"No way!" Cubby and Skully chorused, shaking their heads furiously.
"Fine, we'll flip a gold doubloon on it. Heads, you two go check it out. Tails, I stay right here."
Cubby quickly caught on, shaking his head.
"Oh n-no you don't! You're not gonna f-f-fool me with that old trick you used to fool the—"
Cubby's protest was cut short as two familiar figures emerged from the shrubs: Patrick and his brother, the Talstein Pirates. The sight of the brunette in green and the blonde in yellow made Cubby's voice falter. "T-Talstein P-Pirates," the blonde boy finished weakly.
Patrick smirked, clearly enjoying the power shift now that his older brother wasn't around. Izzy narrowed her eyes, trying to appear taller and more confident than she felt, to make it look like she was four foot in stature at the very least. Cubby and Skully cowered behind her, leaving her to face the cocky pirate alone.
"Well, well," Patrick drawled, a condescending grin spreading across his face. "If it isn't the tiniest pirate with the biggest mouth."
Izzy tilted her head, not missing a beat.
"Better to have a big mouth than a big head with nothing in it!" she shot back, her voice sharp.
Patrick's grin faltered for a moment before he chuckled, stepping closer.
"You've got some nerve, shrimp!"
"And you've got some nerve showing up here without your big brother babysitter," Izzy countered, her eyes gleaming with defiance. "But then again, I guess someone's gotta look after him too."
"Listen, tiny pirates," he sneered, "Get out of here right now or you're scrubbing our ship for a week!"
Cubby's face went pale as he forced a shaky smile.
"Y-y-you know, Izzy, Patrick's right," he stammered, grabbing her hand and trying to pull her away. "We should really get out of here."
Izzy yanked her hand back, standing her ground.
"I'm not going anywhere without Jake," she shot back, narrowing her eyes at Patrick. "And aren't you guys new to Neverland? How exactly did you know about this old lighthouse? I thought it was supposed to be abandoned hundreds of years ago."
Patrick's smug expression faltered for a moment before he growled,
"First of all, three months can hardly be classified as 'new' and second of all, I was just about to ask you the same thing. Now scram! This deserted old place is much too scary for little pirates like you."
Izzy crossed her arms, refusing to budge.
"If this place is so deserted, then why is it so important that we leave?" Her voice dripped with challenge, daring him to answer.
Patrick's irritation flared.
"You really don't know when to put a cork in it, do you?"
Before Izzy could respond, Skully swooped down, puffing out his tiny chest.
"Oh yeah? Well, if you think you're so tough, why don't you make us leave!?" the bird exclaimed.
Patrick's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I don't need to prove anything to a bunch of kids and a bird," he hissed, before turning to Maverick. "But since you're asking for it…"
Izzy felt her blood boil. She clenched her fists, ready to let Patrick have it.
"You know what, Patrick? You're lucky I made a promise to Jake not to get into it with you anymore. Otherwise, you'd be the one scrubbing our deck!"
Patrick's smirk returned as he slipped off his green vest, tossing it over to Maverick.
"Well, Jake isn't here right now, is he?" he taunted, rolling up his black sleeves as he stepped forward.
"Oh coconuts." Cubby mumbled in fear.
As Jake stepped out of the lighthouse into the cold, chilly air, his heart pounded in his chest, still rattled by the encounter with the mysterious figure inside. But he had no time to dwell on it. Just as he stepped outside, a blur of pink, purple, and tan slammed into the wall next to him. Startled, Jake's hand instinctively tightened around the lantern before he quickly dropped it to catch the familiar figure—Izzy, sweaty and disheveled, clutching her bandana nervously.
Izzy's wide eyes met his, the beads of sweat falling down her face.
"A…A-Ahoy there…." she panted. Before the lad could respond, a bony hand grabbed Izzy by the shirt and yanked her away, leaving Jake stunned.
He quickly surveyed the chaotic scene before him. Unfortunately he recognized the two brothers in green and yellow. The Talsteins were back.
Izzy, now in the clutches of Patrick, was struggling like a wildcat, her defiance evident despite her situation. Meanwhile, Maverick was chasing a frantic Cubby around, who was squealing in fear as he darted from side to side, trying to escape.
"Coconuts!" the young boy trembled. "Leave me alone!"
"Hah! I'm right on your tail!" the sixteen year old in yellow exclaimed. "Well, if you had one. First time I've seen a scaredy cat without a tail ha ha!" Cubby continued to run, ducking and dodging with Skully's help. The feisty parrot swooped down, pecking at Maverick's head, pulling at his blonde locks with all his might.
"Leave him alone, noodles for hair!"
"Hey! Beak off, you stupid bird!" Maverick yelped, swatting at Skully with little success.
Maverick however only continued to chase Cubby, when he suddenly tripped over a rock, landing face-first into the dirt. Cubby, seeing his chance to escape, skidded to a halt. But just as he was about to dash off, he noticed something shiny fly out of Maverick's yellow vest. Curiosity got the better of him, and he quickly snatched up the small object.
It was a key. Tiny and elegantly crafted, the key was shaped to resemble the letter "T," yet it still had the notches and teeth of a regular key. A striped ribbon of red, yellow, and green was attached to it.
"Huh?" he squeaked. "What's that?" Cubby's blue eyes widened as he inspected it, wondering what it could unlock. But there was no time to ponder—Maverick was already sitting up, groaning and rubbing his head. Cubby stuffed the key into his pocket and hurried back to the others.
Patrick, meanwhile, continued to mock Izzy as she struggled in his grasp.
"You've got a big mouth for someone who can't back it up!" he sneered, pulling out a dagger. Izzy's eyes widened in fear, but Patrick simply grinned. Instead of using it on her, he drove the dagger through her shirt, pinning her to a nearby tree. Izzy dangled there, her feet just off the ground, her earlier bravado fading.
Jake had seen enough. He drew his wooden sword, pointing it directly at the Talstein brothers.
"Hold it right there!" he shouted, catching both brother's attention. "I told you to leave us alone!" he barked, his voice filled with authority.
"And I told you to keep your little crew of chihuahuas under control didn't I!?" Patrick barked.
"Listen! I don't want trouble—." Jake started before being abruptly cut off.
"You may not, but they seem to revel in it!" the middle Talstein child shouted as he pointed at Jake's mates. "Do something with or to the little pests before I do!"
"They're not pests! And you guys need to back off just as much as they do!"
Maverick, dusting himself off, glared at Jake.
"Hey, why don't you shut it before I beat the non-existent growth spurt out of you?" he snapped, taking a step forward, but Patrick held him back.
"Cool it, Mav," Patrick said, his voice calm but firm. "I'd say that's enough. We've got more important things to do, remember? We just happened to run into a few little distractions here." Maverick hesitated, then nodded begrudgingly.
Patrick turned to Jake and his crew, a smirk playing on his lips.
"This isn't over, baby pirates. But for now, we've got bigger fish to fry." With that, he yanked his dagger out of the tree, releasing Izzy and causing her to tumble to the ground with a yelp.
The Talstein brothers disappeared behind the lighthouse, leaving Jake and his crew alone in the chilly wilderness. Jake put his sword away and turned to his crew, his expression stern. His eyes locked on Izzy, who was still brushing herself off from the fall.
"We'll talk about this later." Jake said, his voice low and serious. Izzy, brushing dirt off her clothes and regaining her composure, nodded at Jake.
"How 'bout at Christmas time?" she asked.
Jake shot her an unamused look, his eyes narrowing.
"This isn't a joke, Izzy. You know better than to get into fights with those guys. I don't understand, what has gotten into you?"
"I was just trying to handle things while you were off playing detective!" Izzy retorted, crossing her arms defensively.
"You weren't handling anything! You were practically tied to a tree!" Jake snapped back, frustration creeping into his voice.
Izzy's face flushed, and she opened her mouth to argue further when Cubby, still panting and wide-eyed from the chaos, approached them.
"Guys, look what I found!" he interrupted, holding out the small key in his hand.
Skully swooped down, landing on Cubby's shoulder to get a better look.
"Where'd you get that, mate?" the bird asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
Cubby pointed a trembling finger back toward the spot where Maverick had tripped.
"M-Maverick dropped it when he fell. It just…popped out of his vest."
Jake's attention shifted from his argument with Izzy to the key in Cubby's hand. He took a closer look at it, noticing the elegant craftsmanship and the ribbon attached to it.
"Jake, what do you think it unlocks?" Cubby asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
Jake, still eyeing the intricate key, shook his head.
"I don't know, Cubby. We'll have to figure it out later, though. Right now, we need to get to Peter."
Izzy, catching her breath, glanced at Jake with a mix of concern and curiosity.
"Did you find the pixie fruit?"
Jake gave a quick nod and pulled his vest out a bit, revealing a glass jar nestled snugly in his pocket. Inside, a sparkly, lemon-like fruit glowed faintly, its golden shimmer catching the light.
"Wow." Izzy and Cubby gasped in awe.
Skully whistled, fluttering his wings.
"Sweet! That magical fruit tree really does exist, huh?"
Jake's expression darkened as he shook his head.
"Well….not exactly Skully. There was no magical tree up there. In fact, it was the complete opposite." he explained.
Izzy and Cubby exchanged puzzled looks, their heads cocked to the side.
"What are you talking about?" Izzy asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
Jake glanced around the chilly wilderness, his instincts on high alert.
"I'll explain later, but for now, we need to get out of here before it rains or before we run into any more unexpected travelers."
The little pirate crew trudged through the thick wilderness, their eyes darting around for any signs of danger. The air felt damp and heavy, a warning of the rain that would soon arrive. Izzy, still brushing off dirt from her earlier tussle with Patrick, glanced over at Jake, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.
"Jake….," she started, her voice cutting through the stillness. "What exactly did you mean when you said there was the 'complete opposite' of what we expected in that lighthouse tower? I mean, what did you see?"
Jake hesitated, his mind replaying the bizarre scene he'd witnessed in the tower.
"Well... it wasn't exactly what you'd think would be in a deserted lighthouse," he began slowly. "When I got to the top, it wasn't empty or dusty like you'd expect. There was this whole... setup. Like, a lab or something."
"A lab?" Izzy raised an eyebrow. "What kind of lab?"
"Potions, chemicals, weird books, glass jars... you name it," Jake continued. "The place looked like a chemist's or maybe some kind of witch's lab. There were maps too, but none of them were in any language I could read. It was like someone had been working up there, studying... something."
"That sounds like a pretty modern setup for a lighthouse that's been abandoned for years," Izzy mused, her hand tightening on her bandana. "Unless….."
"I-i-it's not so abandoned a-after all." Cubby trembled.
"Well… if that's the case…then why was the pixie fruit still there?"
Cubby, now walking close behind, nodded eagerly.
"Yeah! And the magical tree up there? I didn't think you'd just... find the fruit lying around."
Jake shook his head.
"There wasn't any tree," he said, his voice lowering. "But there were fruits. All kinds of them—exactly the kind of special fruits you'd expect to grow from a magical tree. But instead of growing, they were already picked. Stored away in crates, boxes, and jars. The pixie fruit was in a glass jar, like it was being preserved."
"So... you stole it?" Izzy squeaked.
"I didn't steal it," Jake replied defensively. "I took it. There's a difference," He paused for a second, then added more seriously, "If we want to see Peter again, we need this fruit. I couldn't just leave it behind."
"Was there anyone up there?" the girl asked, her eyes narrowing as she probed for more details.
Jake stiffened slightly, feeling the weight of the memory. That shadowy figure in the lighthouse... it lingered in his mind, but he quickly pushed it aside.
"No," he lied smoothly. "No one was there."
Before Izzy could press him further, Skully swooped down onto Jake's shoulder, defending his friend.
"Jake did it for a good cause, mate! You want to help Peter get better, right? Then we need that pixie fruit, plain and simple."
Izzy opened her mouth to reply, but the words were cut off when a single raindrop splashed onto her nose. She blinked, surprised, then felt another one hit her cheek. And then her forehead.
"Uh-oh," she muttered.
Within moments, the light drizzle turned into a steady patter of rain. The cold droplets soaked through their clothes, the forest around them becoming a blur of wet greens and browns. Cubby, wide-eyed and trembling, pulled his arms tightly around himself.
"We'll never find our way through the rain!" Cubby panicked, his voice trembling. "It's getting too hard to see! What if we get lost?"
Jake glanced around, his expression tense but determined.
"We don't have time to get lost," he said, his voice firm. "We've gotta hurry. Come on!" He motioned for them to pick up the pace.
As the rain poured harder, drenching everything in sight, Jake, Izzy, Cubby, and Skully scrambled aboard Bucky. The deck was slick beneath their feet as the storm grew more intense by the second. Jake handed the jar of pixie fruit to Izzy, his voice urgent.
"Get this inside now! We can't risk anything happening to it."
"Aye aye!" she responded as she snatched the jar from his hand and bolted across the deck, disappearing into the forecastle. The rain continued to pummel down in heavy sheets, wind howling through the air like an angry beast.
Cubby stood next to Jake, shivering and hugging himself, his teeth chattering.
"Coconuts! I knew something was off about the weather, Jake!" he stammered.
Jake's eyes narrowed as he looked out at the turbulent Neversea.
"Yeah, and it's about to get a whole lot worse!"
The two of them made their way up the ladder to the ship's wheel, where Jake gripped the helm tightly, his knuckles turning white. Cubby clung to the railing for dear life as Skully flapped his drenched wings and soared up to the crow's nest to keep watch.
"Bucky, we need to get outta here!" Jake ordered, his voice rising above the deafening storm. Bucky dinged his bell in response, the ship creaking as if understanding the urgency.
Suddenly, lightning cracked through the sky, striking the Neversea with a blinding flash. Enormous waves began to churn and crash against Bucky, rocking the ship violently. The rain pelted down harder, the wind growing stronger, and the thunder booming even louder.
From above, Skully's frantic squawk echoed through the storm.
"Jake! Big wave comin' our way!"
Jake's heart leaped into his throat as he screamed over the wind.
"Cubby, hold on!"
Cubby barely had time to react before the first wave crashed into the side of Bucky, soaking them both with freezing seawater. He coughed and sputtered, wiping the water from his face just as Skully's warning screech came again.
"Another one, even bigger! Look out!"
Jake's eyes widened in horror as he turned to see the monstrous wave looming in the distance, growing taller with every passing second.
"Cubby! Don't stand so close to the—"
But it was too late. The wave crashed into Bucky with a force that knocked Cubby off his feet. The little lad tumbled backward, his grip on the railing slipping as the massive wave sent him flying off the ship and into the raging sea below.
"Cubby!" Jake shouted in panic, his heart racing as he frantically scanned the waves for any sign of his friend. There was no time to think; he had to act fast.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the coiled up rope from on top of a barrel and an idea formed in his head.
"Izzy, get out here! NOW!"
The door kicked open and out came Izzy, rushing onto the slick deck to where Jake stood, his face grim and focused.
"What happened?" she shouted over the deafening wind.
Jake pointed to the dark, churning waters.
"H-he fell overboard!"
"Ugh, not again." Izzy moaned.
"Again!?" Jake exclaimed, looking at her in disbelief before snapping back to the situation at hand. They were running out of time. His heart raced as he grabbed the rope. Without wasting another second, he tied one end around his waist and shoved the other end into Izzy's hands. "Here, Iz. Hold onto this and don't let go."
"Wait a minute! What are you—" Izzy started to protest, but Jake was already over the railing, splashing into the icy waters below.
The Neversea was unforgiving, with towering waves and relentless wind crashing into him. It should've been a short swim, just a few yards to the squealing Cubby, but the storm turned it into a battle against nature itself. Rain pelted his face, and each stroke felt like pushing against a wall. Still, Jake's determination cut through the cold, and he paddled harder, keeping his eyes fixed on Cubby's small, shivering form struggling to stay afloat.
"F-f-f-frozen c-coconuts!" the lad trembled.
"Hang in there, Cubby!" Jake shouted, though the wind threatened to drown out his words. His heart tightened as he saw how pale and frightened Cubby looked, barely managing to keep his head above water.
With a final burst of strength, Jake lunged forward, reaching out. It took a few failed swipes, but he finally grabbed hold of Cubby's hand.
"Gotcha!" he yelled over the roaring sea. He squeezed Cubby's hand tight, not daring to let go. "Izzy, pull us up!"
Back on the deck, Izzy gripped the rope with both hands, her feet slipping slightly on the slick boards. She pulled with all her might, for it required a ridiculous amount of strength to just move one foot in front of the other while still grasping the rope.
"Hurry it up Iz!" Skully squawked.
"Yeah….sure….no problem!" she muttered, teeth clenched as she continued pulling. She strained against the weight, taking careful steps backward. As the storm howled, Izzy nearly lost her footing, stumbling briefly before regaining her balance. "Ugh, come on!" she grunted, using all her strength. From above, Skully swooped down, grabbing onto the rope with his talons to help. Between the two of them, they managed to pull Jake and Cubby slowly but steadily back toward the ship.
With one last heave, they hauled them onto the deck, both drenched and gasping for air. Jake flopped onto his back, water streaming from his hair and clothes as he grinned up at Izzy.
"Who's the reckless one now?" she asked, her rope burnt hands on her hips, trying to look annoyed.
Jake chuckled, spitting out seawater as he shook his head.
"Still you," he teased, flashing her a grin despite the exhaustion. Jake sat up, glancing at Cubby. "You alright, buddy?"
Cubby, still shaking from the cold, gave a weak thumbs-up.
"Y-yeah I-I-I'm alright. I-I-I-I j-j-just th-th-thought I was a g-g-goner." he trembled.
"I told you this would keep happening if you kept leaning over the edge." Izzy quipped.
"You did not!" Cubby argued, despite being half frozen.
"I did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Nu-uh!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Hold it you two!" Jake interrupted, catching both of their attentions. "Now's not the time for this. We gotta get to Peter," he said, but then his expression dropped when he took in the stormy atmosphere. "But right now, I don't think that's gonna happen."
To Be Continued….