Chapter 4

Avoiding

It had been over a fortnight and we still hadn't reached our destination. Silver was busy trying to keeping Jim busy; while I was trying to avoid making friends with him, and also every time I saw Scroop he would snap his claw aggressively at me – so I was trying to avoid him as well; so I spent most of my time alone.

However one night I was sat on the bow of the Legacy, staring into the sky – my VERY long hair was blowing in the wind, I had left my hat on my hammock, I usually have my hair tucked under my hat to keep it out of the way – I haven't had it cut in ages.

While I was sat on the bow; I was thinking about the choices I've had to make, thinking about how my life would've turned out if I had chosen a different path – I wouldn't be here; that's for sure.

I was fiddling with my bracelet, usually when I'm thinking or nervous I like to play with the beads – it's an old habit that I never really grown out of.

I lost my train of thought, because I heard someone climbing up the bow towards me and spoke.

"Mind if I join you?" I turned, it was Jim – he looked very tired and worn out.

"Sure," I said. He sat down next to me and we both stared out into the sky in silence.

I need to talk to him, I need to find out how much he knows, I thought to myself, but before I had the chance Jim spoke.

"Hey, err..." he paused – scratching his head while he tried to find the right words. "I never got the chance to say it before but; you know a couple of weeks ago; when you got Silver to save me from that spider weirdo."

"Yeah" I responded.

"Well... what I'm trying to say is..." he paused again. "Thanks."

I smiled at him, "If it helps, I had to be saved by Silver when I first encountered Scroop." I said.

"Is that how you got that scar?" he asked, glared at him – just to let him know he was treading on very thin ice. "I know you said before you don't like to focus on the past." He quickly added. "I was only wondering."

"Since you're so curious; yes he did – but Silver stopped him before he could do anything else." I answer

"Why, did he attack you?" Jim asked.

Just keep answering the question then it'll be my turn to ask him, I thought to myself again; lie if you have to!

"When I first met Silver I had a habit of stealing," I said. "And I tried to seal some of Scroop's money and got court while trying to do it."

"Why did you have the habit of stealing?" Jim asked.

"I use to be homeless and the only way I could get money was to take other peoples, but when Silver took me under his wing the habit was still there." Jim looked slightly worried by this; "Don't worry; I don't do it anymore - getting scarred for life kinda made me stop."

"So, is Silver like your guardian?" There was a short pause before I answered this question.

"I haven't really thought about that; but I suppose he is." Jim nodded a response; there was silence between us again– now it was my turn to ask the questions.

"If you don't mind me asking, but how old where you when your dad left?"

"Why do you want to know?" Jim asked – he seemed a little annoyed that the subject of his dad had turned up again.

I shrugged my shoulders; "Curious."

Jim sighed, "My dad worked away all the time and one day he went and never came back." He paused then continued; "I was about nine or ten when he left, after three years I gave up waiting for him to come back." He looked away from me and stared out toward the sky again then spoke again, "I still have my mum though, but I haven't exactly helped her out much lately. But I'm hoping this trip will help me make it up to her."

I smiled at him and he looked over at me and then asked me; "What happened to your parents?"

I stopped smiling and looked away then answered; "I don't know – I never met them, I lived at an orphanage for the first twelve years of my life. When I turned nine or ten I kinda gave up waiting for them too."

"I thought you said you were homeless?" Jim said confused.

"After twelve years at the orphanage I ran away, hoping to live a better life – that's when I became homeless." Why do I have a horrible feeling that he's on to me; is he trying to catch me out? "Then two years later I met Silver; who helped me out by getting me a job with him on a ship as a cabin girl, and that's how we've been making a living for the last year and a half." The last part was a lie; I thought it would be best if he didn't know that we were pirates – the next part was also a lie. "Scroop also makes his live by applying for jobs on ships too and the first voyage me and Silver went on Scroop was there and that's when I tried to steal from him."

"Oh," Jim replied.

"I've just managed to tell you the all main highlights of my life, in under 15 minutes!" I giggled.

"You've gone through a lot more than me. Nothin's really happened to me, apart from my dad leaving."

"Come on; there must be something you've done." This could be my chance to find out about the map, I thought to myself. "You have a girlfriend waiting for you at home?" how would that question help you, stupid! However he answered.

"No, I hardly knew any of the girls in my class."

"Did you get kicked out of school or something?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You don't know any girls your age; also you're not at school at the moment." I replied.

"I never did too well at school and I thought coming on this journey would help me."

"Were you looking for an adventure?"

"Yeah, if I'm honest." Jim said sadly. "I thought we were going to be there in no time; fight some pirates along the way, see thing I would never see at home, get into some sticky situation."

"You've already managed to do that last one, on your first day!" I replied.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." He smiled. There was silence between us for awhile; I need something that'll help me gain his trust so he'll tell me about the map and hopefully its location.

"Is that yours?" Jim pointed at my silver beaded bracelet in my hand – I was still playing with it. I replaced it on my right hand where it belonged.

"Yes; it bought from a gift shop that was near the orphanage." I said, "I remember walking by the shop window everyday just to see it and I would wish that I had some money so I could get. Then one day I noticed that it wasn't in the window display; I was really upset – the one thing that I wanted was gone.

"I then returned to the orphanage, went to my room and found a pink box on my pillow; I opened it and the bracelet was there, – if I'm honest I still don't know who got it me."

"They must have known you wanted it," Jim replied.

"Yeah, they must have." I replied with a smile. Again there was silence between us which was only broken Jim yawning.

"I think it's about time I went to bed," Jim sighed. "I expect Silver will have plenty of work for me tomorrow."

"Are you going straight to bed?" I asked – I had an idea that I hoped would gain his trust.

"Well... yeah," He replied.

"Would you like to come down to the galley and have some of Silver's hot chocolate with me, the rest of the crew will be there – sometime Silver likes to tell some of his stories?"

"You don't mind hanging around with me?" Jim asked, as I stood up.

"No, what gave you the impression that I didn't?" Jim stood too as we walked towards the galley.

"Well, for the past few weeks I've been thinking you were trying to avoid me!" he chuckled.