Chương 51: THE 12TH ACCOUNT: GHOST ISLAND 3

I did not believe in ghosts until now. Well, I did not believe in mermaids til the Gulf of Sirens, either. Maybe now, I should not dismiss any possibilities that other mythical beings could be real as well.

Because of my experiences at the Gulf of Sirens, I could not shake the fear that I felt as Ghost Island came to view. For one, my crewmates were helpless at that time and two, Jacob almost died.

I turned to him. Jacob discreetly placed his hand over mine and whispered, "Everything will be alright."

I sighed. His words brought comfort to me and I do believe him. However, battling with mythical beings is another story. They're very unpredictable and utterly cryptic. Not to mention, they have special abilities that make defeating them very difficult. Lowen could not even put a bullet in the pirate ghosts. How are we going to win? How are we getting our ship back?

"I have a bad feeling about this, Jacob," I replied.

He took my hand and kissed it. "We all do. But, one thing I am sure of, I will protect and save you come what may."

"How are we getting Labyrinth back?" I asked.

"Not sure yet," Jacob replied. "But, if Elgo is correct, I am positively sure that we could get some clues on the island on how to overpower the ghosts."

"What do you mean?" I asked again.

"I do not think their intention is to kill or if they could kill. Otherwise, we would all be dead. Furthermore, they did not chase after us," he began to explain.

"Which means?"

"My theory is they were forcing us to abandon ship and get on the island," Jacob replied.

"That makes sense," Neville responded.

"But, we have to tread carefully. Expect the unexpected. After all, we are entering an unfamiliar territory," Paco cautioned. "Jacob… remember the mermaids," he looked at him warningly.

Jacob nodded and gripped my hand tighter. "Our weapons do not work on the pirate ghosts. So, they may not work on the creatures on the island as well."

I looked around at my crewmates. The teasing mood completely vanished already. They were serious and reflective.

"We cannot let what happened in the Gulf of Sirens happen again," Puma said and looked at me. "We cannot let Miss Darling lose anything more for our sake."

"What if the enemy could hypnotize us again?" Tibet asked.

"That would be trouble, but I doubt that," Thaddaues said. Everyone listened as he explained further. "If it was so, then they could've just hypnotized us to get on the island. Just like how the mermaids did. But instead, they made us abandon ship."

I sighed anxiously. My worry may have been too transparent on my face because my crewmates all gave me an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry Miss Darling, it's our turn to protect you this time. I mean, I still have to make it up to you after striking you," Sandlot said as he beamed.

I chuckled in response. What he said gave me a bit of comfort. "Thank you, Sandlot."

Jacob narrowed his eyes, "What did I say about smiling at her without my permission?"

Sandlot sighed and saluted, "Permission to smile at her, Captain."

"Permission granted," Jacob replied.

I looked at Jacob and shook my head, "You weren't serious, were you?"

Jacob chuckled. "Serious as my feelings for you," he said and winked. I wrinkled my nose in response.

Jacob's actions livened up the mood a bit. The seriousness and anxiety slowly dissipated as the crew began to tease us again. I let them this time. I turned to Jacob and smiled. He does really know how to handle his crew. I placed my elbows on my lap and rested my head on my hands. Then, I gazed at him admiringly.

"You're wonderful, don't you know that?" I told him.

For the first time ever, I saw him blush. His face turned a bit red and he shyly looked away for a moment before turning back to me.

"You're blushing," I teased. Now, I know how he feels whenever I blush. No wonder he looked pleased with himself. I felt a surge of a newfound power!

Jacob narrowed his eyes at me and leaned closer. "Be grateful we have an audience, or else..." he said and eyed my lips knowingly.

I instantly knew what he meant so I chuckled as a response, "I'm not grateful that we do. After all, I would rather do what you were thinking of right now, as well." I smirked after. When did teasing come naturally for me?

He turned red again and I beamed, proud of myself for a job well done. "Darling…" he warned.

"Yes, Captain?" I replied with a voice laced with all the sweetness I could muster.

He chuckled and leaned closer. He whispered right next to my ear, "You little minx." Then, he purposely brushed his lips on my ear as he moved away. Goosebumps rose from my skin instantly as I was reminded of how he made me feel in our 'little' encounter this morning.

I gazed at him unbelievingly and he smirked at me as a response. I looked forward and saw the shores of Ghost Island. I sat back up straight before I let out a deep breath to prepare myself.

After we secured our boats by the beach on Ghost Island, we broke apart in groups to find food. Because we were forced to abandon Labyrinth in the first hour of sunrise, we were not able to eat breakfast. Jacob finished giving us directions and we were about to carry them out. But as soon as I stepped forward, I felt a jolt of pain on my chest. My breathing became labored. I placed my hand on my chest to alleviate the pain.

Jacob was beside me right away. "What happened?" he asked me worriedly.

I opened my mouth to tell him how I felt, but I could not speak!. My eyes widened. Fear gushed through my veins. Why do I feel like I'm in a near death experience?

"Gondro!" Jacob quickly called our doctor and Gondro checked my pulse right away.

Then, I heard myself wheeze to catch my breath because it felt like I was being pulled away from my body. My gut felt the force of the pull! I was frightened! My vision became blurry and before I knew it I was staring at myself! I furrowed my brows in confusion. She or I smirked?

"I am Priestess Jaina," I saw my lips move and speak. But, it wasn't me.

I lifted my hands to check. I could not believe it! My heart raced in panic. My hands…. my fingers… my arms…. my legs…. They were transparent… just like the ghost pirates! I looked at the person who looked exactly just like me but introduced myself or herself with a different name. THEN, I SCREAMED!