Chapter Text
Monday, August 3rd, 2026
The five of them arrived at Headmaster Raymond’s house at exactly 9:55AM. They didn’t arrive quite as early as they would’ve liked to but… at least they were on time for once. They were usually a few minutes late to those meetings, much to Raymond's frustration.
They immediately noted that his house seemed quite messy for a guy who was such a hard-ass towards them about every little thing at their troop meeting spot.
The front perimeter of the house was littered with weeds, with some even threatening to reach his windows. Interestingly enough though, his lawn was nearly in perfect shape. They were confused by the contrast. Why not take care of the weeds while already taking care of the grass…?
Riley sighed and unbuckled their seat belt. As much as they were ready to get that meeting over with, they also weren’t really ready to have it in the first place. They weren’t necessarily concerned about the trip itself, but they still weren’t fond of dealing with Raymond.
“Let’s go before he can find another reason to get upset at us,” Riley suggested.
“Ugh. Fine,” Jamie retorted.
“Look on the bright side, Jamie! The sooner we do this, the sooner you get out of that uniform,” Jade said.
Jamie hated the Peak Scouts uniform, but they also hated every other uniform equally as much, so Riley never took any offense. Truthfully, it wasn't really their favorite either. Their old trench coat was cooler…
“True…”
Riley was the first to unbuckle and exit the vehicle. They shut their door then heard three more doors open and shut shortly after.
Once everyone was outside, Luna came up from behind and attached to Riley’s side, not even bothering to hide their anxiety. Poor kid.
“Here, I’ll sweeten the deal for you all. We get through this meeting with no problems, we can get ice cream after,” Riley offered.
“Isn’t it a bit early for ice cream?” Evelyn asked.
“Since when?” Jamie scoffed. “Any time is a perfect time for ice cream!”
“Exactly,” Riley affirmed.
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Weirdos.”
“And yet you still like us.”
“Never said being weird was bad.”
Riley shrugged and headed up towards the front door. As they approached the front porch, they noticed a few beer cans haphazardly scattered across the table. They never really understood why Raymond never bothered to clean up after himself, especially when the cans were left in a place where anyone passing by could easily see them.
Luna's grip tightened as they passed by the cans. That was definitely not a coincidence, given the fact Riley recently learned that Edmond's actions towards Luna were fueled by alcohol.
That knowledge was enough for Riley to quit entirely. They were already on the verge of pushing it away entirely given their own experiences, but when they found out about Luna's expreriences… Well, they didn't need any further convincing to quit.
There were far better ways to "deal with their sorrows" or "have fun" anyways, like… writing or actually spending time with their friends and family. The thought of drowning themselves in alcohol for either reason only made them feel sick to their stomach.
Once they arrived at the door, they wasted no time banging on it. Luna's anxious shuffling only confirmed that they should get going. “We’re here, Raymond! Let’s get this meeting over with!”
“Riley… how the hell did you convince me to come…?” Evelyn muttered.
How the hell did I convince myself to come?
About a minute later, the door swung open and Raymond was standing on the other side.
The blue night gown and cap he wore covered up his red skin and part of his shaggy hair. Though, parts of it were close to reaching his shoulders.
Despite his lighthearted and sarcastic nature, he had an almost permanent frown attached to his face. They weren't really sure why, but they assumed they weren't close enough to ever find out.
He was a bit older, coming up on thirty-two, but he looked like he was in his twenties. They felt slightly envious that he sometimes looked younger than them. Maybe one day they'd ask about his skin routine.
In his left hand was a cup of freshly brewed coffee. From a quick waft, it didn't seem to have any sugar or other sweeteners, but at least it was far better than alcohol.
They never really saw him in such an informal manner. He was usually also wearing the Peak Scouts uniform… but they were also at his house fairly early in the morning. It was possible they just caught him at a bad time, but that didn't seem very likely considering it was only a few minutes until the meeting was due to start.
They also felt a bit awkward considering they barely convinced everyone to climb into their actual uniforms. It was the right thing to do when meeting with a Headmaster, but it felt so strange when the Headmaster himself didn’t adhere by that expectation.
“Oh, good! You’re all here, and on time for once…” Raymond scoffed.
“Surprise…?” Riley said awkwardly.
“A surprise indeed,” Raymond responded. “Come in and close the door behind you! You're letting the cool air out!”
“Oh, right,” Riley replied. They understood that concern very well. Everyone else seemed to as well, considering they all quickly piled into the house so they could shut the door.
Contrary to the house’s messy appearance, a faint lavender smell wafted in the air. Despite knowing that was his scent of choice for air freshener, it always caught them off-guard. They didn’t visit very often, so it was something that often slipped past their mind.
The faint smell of eggs and toast also lingered in the air. He must’ve had breakfast very recently. And as expected, the smell of coffee was in the air too. It all came together to form a nice comforting smell.
“Any of you hungry? Thirsty?” Raymond offered.
“No. We just ate like… half an hour ago,” Riley replied.
“Okay. Your loss."
“The thought is appreciated.”
“Didn’t think you were capable of being nice to me, Riley.”
Riley sighed in response, which caused Raymond to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh… right. The meeting. I’ve already got everything set up in my office, so let’s get to it.”
Everything set up…? What does he mean by that…?
"You're not gonna get out of your pajamas?" Evelyn asked.
Raymond shrugged. "Not like it would change anything. You've already seen me in them."
"But if it was us…" she muttered under her breath.
"Hm?"
"Nothing. Let's get this meeting over with."
Everyone quietly followed Raymond as he started walking towards the door of the basement. His basement seemed like an odd place to put an office, but he insisted that it gave him extra space for models and boards and things of that nature. He was a very expressive person in that nature, so it made sense.
Still… why the basement? He had a large enough living room…
As they were walking down the hallway, they noticed a mirror on the wall. They stopped to take a quick look at their reflection. Even if the meeting was unorthodox, they could at least still make sure they looked presentable.
They were wearing a variant of the scouting outfit that they all agreed on back when the Peak Scouts were first created. Their shirt was a light-green with dark-green accents. Both their collar and their shorts were brown with light-brown accents. It was simple but nice to look at. It reminded them of the peak of the mountain, which is how they all ended up agreeing on it. On top of their uniform was their Scoutmaster sash, which had a few more badges from after the crash.
Their collar was a bit out of place so they adjusted it. Everything else seemed to be in shape though, so they hurried to catch up with the others before anyone could notice they were gone.
Thankfully, nobody seemed to notice they had fallen behind when they approached the entrance to the basement. They spotted the others near the bottom of the stairs so they quickened their pace to catch up.
The first thing they noticed once they entered the basement was the presence of a few boards and what appeared to be a replica of part of a mountain. It wasn’t the same mountain they saw though, which piqued their interest.
He was clearly prepared to talk about what he found, which hopefully meant the meeting would go by quicker.
Upon closer examination of the replica, a lot of the details they expected to see were either completely different or absent. The sand was black with splotches of pink spiky balls, which was quite the contrast to the sand they saw. Additionally, there was a strange statue that looked nothing like the campsite statues with a blue circle around it. It was holding something green, but it was far too tiny to show any details.
“Told you it was different,” Raymond said.
“I wasn’t doubting you,” Riley replied.
“I know. Just saying.”
Their eyes strayed up to the top where there was a bundle of gray thread beyond the mini campsite. Based on previous experience, they could only assume that was the fog. Furthermore, given the fact there were no more replicas and based on what Raymond said during the call, his crew really didn't make much progress.
But then… how could Raymond be so certain the whole island has changed? Neither him nor his crew actually explored the whole thing.
Well, that's probably where they came in.
“Disappointed that you only see the beach?” Raymond asked.
“Are you… reading my mind?”
“I mean… it’s not that difficult to figure out when you seem disappointed.” Riley only glared at him, prompting him to clear his throat before continuing. “Anyways… that’s as far as we managed to get, which is why we only have this part of the replica to show.”
Jamie popped up to Riley’s right to take a look at it themselves. “Why? You get tired or something?” they snickered.
“No… but I assume Riley explained it to you all already?”
Jamie tensed up a little bit, but thankfully, Raymond didn’t seem to notice. “Some, uh… creepy, scary, monster spooked you all, right?”
“In simple terms, yes. It seemed very persistent on us leaving and you four… well, five, not going back there. Did any of you make it mad or something?”
Riley shrugged. “I think it was just jealous of us.”
“Jealous? That might be the dumbest thing I’ve heard.”
“Yeah! Jealous that we actually survived all of the stuff it made us suffer through! We were just too cool for it!” Jamie followed up enthusiastically.
“Y-Yeah! W-We were… so cool!” Luna affirmed, though they deflated when Raymond made direct eye contact with them.
Raymond rubbed his chin and hummed. “You know… that makes sense actually, considering its prey escaped from its grasp and all…” He then patted Riley on the shoulder. “Sorry for saying what you said was ‘dumb,’ Riley.”
“Jeez, didn’t think you were capable of apologizing.”
“Don’t test your limits with me, kid.”
“I’m twenty-four, not a kid.”
Raymond rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, kid."
Jade finally spoke up. “So, uh… is this it? With the replica and the boards?"
“Part of it,” Raymond replied. “Well, actually… most of it. Just wanted to point out the inconsistencies between your stories and what we found, but… Detective Riley was already on the case the moment you all walked in.”
Riley decided to ignore that slight. “I’ve… got a question for you actually, Raymond,” they said instead.
“Go on.”
“This…” They pointed towards the smaller statue. “Statue. What’s different about it?”
“Well… unlike the other one, this one was holding some kind of… amulet? Gem? I dunno.” He paused for a moment. “We saw some kind of engraving at the base of it, but it seemed to be in some kind of ancient language. And, like you probably already figured out, it’s smaller and a lighter gray.”
“Did any of you pick up that amulet?”
“No. Like I said over the phone, one of our guys got close and got creeped out.”
“So you want us to go back just to grab some stupid amulet?” Evelyn asked.
“Yes. Though, I’d also appreciate if you all took another complete trip to the top just to document any differences. And who knows? Maybe there’s a few more badges to be had from there.”
Jamie raised an eyebrow. “Badges, you say? You already sold me at climbing, you don’t gotta sweeten the deal!”
“Will we at least have a proper landing and gear this time?” Jade asked.
“That was something else I wanted to address while you were all here.” Raymond walked over to a board with two faces…
Oh no. Not them again…
“You’ll all be going by helicopter with Judy and Todd as your pilots. They were the only ones to volunteer this time around. You’ll likely have better success with them anyways considering they saved you all the first time around, so they’re a little more familiar with the area.”
Evelyn sighed in relief, though Riley couldn’t shake this strange feeling they had in their chest. Even though the two of them did rescue them, they still felt pretty sour about how their encounters with both of them went.
At the same time though, two annoying but reliable pilots were better than one pilot bribed into attempting to kill them.
Raymond then walked over to the freezer and opened it. Inside was a bunch of pre-packaged food, and to the side outside of it sat several cases of bottled water. “Food and water is on us. However, clothing and tents will be your responsibility. I’d go ahead and just pack for all climates, because who knows what you’ll run into out there?”
Riley nodded in approval at the sight. “That’s good and all but… when are we going?”
“Well… when do you want to go?”
“As soon as possible, preferably. School’s starting back up soon.”
“Ah, right. Hmm…” He walked over to a nearby calendar. “The 11th? Next Tuesday? You'd be departing from Bing Bong Airlines around six in the morning. And before you can ask, I’d prefer if you all get out of there by the weekend.”
Riley and Evelyn looked at each other in horror. "Wait… Bing Bong Airlines!?" Riley asked.
"Hey, hey!" Raymond raised his hands in panic. "I know what you're thinking, but again, you're flying with pilots you can actually trust! We're just… using their tarmac for your departure and arrival."
"Mm. Alright. Just… don't have good memories from there."
"I know. It's the only place I can reserve this little in advance though."
"Well… I suppose it'll work if that's the case… I should probably clear this with my job first though."
"Good call. Anyone else?"
“I’m in!” Jamie chirped. Luna hummed a "mhm" in agreement.
“Well, if these two want to do it… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” Jade said.
Evelyn shrugged. "I'll go where these goobers go. Someone needs to keep them out of trouble."
Riley rolled their eyes in response. "That slight aside, I'm gonna lock this in."
They opened up the calendar on their work's app and thankfully, nobody else was requesting time off for the remainder of the month. They tapped on the 11th and requested time off until the 15th. They weren’t sure why they picked the 15th considering they were off work that day anyways but… at least the request was made.
They weren’t really expecting a response right away, so they just closed the app and began to put their phone away. However, to their surprise, their phone vibrated once. When they pulled their phone back up, they noticed the request was instantly approved with a note.
I’ll cover for ya! – Teddy
Riley smiled. Maybe they’d pay him back for this favor one day. “Well… good news, Raymond. Looks like I’m in.”
“That’s that, then.” Raymond clapped his hands together. “I’m so glad we could get through a meeting without trying to kill each other this time!”
“Don’t push your luck,” Riley warned.
Raymond laughed awkwardly. “Of course.”
“Are we free to go then?” Evelyn asked.
“Yes. I don’t think you need me to escort you out of the house…” He glared at Riley. “You’re grown ups. You can manage.”
Evelyn sighed angrily. “Let’s get out of here before I actually try to kill him,” she mumbled.
“Yeah…” Riley replied in a low whisper. “See you on the 11th, Raymond!” they said, slightly louder that time.
“I look forward to our next meeting. Until then though… Farewell, Peak Scouts.”
He then saluted, prompting everyone else to subconsciously salute. They held that salute for a few seconds until his hand dropped. With that out of the way, they were now truly free to go.
They all scrambled up the stairs as fast as they could without actually running. While they were interested in getting out of there quickly, they could at least be civilized about it.
Once outside, they slowed their pace but only stopped once they actually arrived at their car.
“T-That wasn’t s-so bad!” Luna chirped.
Jamie shrugged. “Felt kinda like a waste of time. He kinda spoiled it all last night already, could’ve also just told us everything else over the phone too.”
Jade nodded. “I have to agree with Jamie here. Why couldn’t he have just told us all of that last night? Could’ve saved time and gas.”
“And I wouldn’t have to see his face as much…" Evelyn sighed. "How do you do it, Riley?”
“Restraint. Lots of it. I hate him just as much as you do but… can’t just beat everyone up and get away with it. Plus… he’s a lot better at being a Headmaster than I’d be.”
Evelyn frowned at their self-deprecation. “C’mon, have more faith in yourself, Rye! You’d be a kickass Headmaster!”
“Look, I appreciate the optimism, but let’s be realistic about it too. It takes a lot more to be in his shoes than it takes to be a Scoutmaster. I also like that only these three are my responsibility.”
Evelyn shrugged. “Oh well, I tried. Maybe one day I can replace him then.”
“Hopefully, you mean.”
“Yeah…” She smiled. “Hopefully. You think I have what it takes?”
“Eve… you are…” Their face was already starting to feel a bit warm. “A damn good woman with a lot of intelligence in that head of yours. Not only that, but you’re a natural at this kind of stuff. You might be… you, sometimes, but you’re also very confident and headstrong. Those are traits of a Headmaster. Not some… weirdo who can barely even keep their own troop in check, let alone several.”
“Like… Raymond?” Evelyn sighed. “Look. If you don’t wanna be a Headmaster, cool, I get it. It’s a big responsibility and all. But… if someone like him can pull it off, I think you can too.” She opened the passenger door. “Just… think about it sometime.” She then closed it, effectively ending the conversation.
After Evelyn entered the vehicle, they noticed that the kids had been eavesdropping. “Why don’t you two kiss already?” Jamie teased.
“Why don’t you get in the car already?” Riley snapped back.
“Haha, okay! You should’ve seen the look on your face though! You were toooootally blushing!”
“You should see the look on your face when you don’t get any ice cream…” Riley muttered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Just get in the car already so we can get some ice cream.”
Jamie shrugged. “If you say so.” They then got in the car without any more teasing. Jade and Luna followed suit, choosing not to add fuel to the fire.
All things considered, that meeting went way better than they expected. Raymond also seemed to be slightly more friendly too, but that wasn’t exactly a high bar to clear. Pretty much all of their concerns regarding transport, time and supplies were addressed too, so they felt a little more confident about making that commitment.
In the present though, they still had their end of the deal to hold up with the kids. They all survived the meeting, so they were all entitled to some ice cream, as promised.
When they got into the car, they noticed the children were already excitedly discussing everything about the trip in excruciating detail. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all, considering everyone was more eager to do it this time around. They really had no reason to be so pessimistic about it.
“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Evelyn asked.
“Hm?”
“Ice cream. Where are you getting it from?”
“Dairy Queen?”
“Hell yeah.”
“Language.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Sue me.”
“Sure… and the settlement is no ice cream for you.”
They randomly glanced in the mirror and caught Jamie looking at them with a smug expression. That was their sign to shut this moment down and move on.
“Alright…” They quickly shoved their keys into the ignition and turned them. “Let’s get everyone some ice cream.”
And then they set off to enjoy a sweet treat before preparing for their next journey.