Jim leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed. Gerard sat to his side, scribbling down the information from his textbook. When he looked to his other side, he swore he saw Kate glaring him down for a moment, like she had multiple times during past three months of classes. She remained poker-faced even after he turned back to Gerard.
The notes on Gerard's paper changed, as the notes from his textbook were set to the side. Jim peered over the boy's shoulder as he caught glimpses of words. "Vivian," "cute," "sweet," "beautiful." Jim smirked as he realigned himself. Gerard's head snapped to the side with wide eyes.
"Uh, please don't tell me you read that," Gerard said with a quivering voice.
Jim shook his head.
"Oh, thank the stars!" Gerard breathed.
There weren't too many students lingering around in the library, possibly since many were in class. Jim stared down at the astronomy textbook laid out before him. He ripped his eyes from the book as they strayed to the glass dome. He felt a nudge at his shoulder.
"Looking at the stars again?"
Jim nonchalantly shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, I guess."
Gerard looked up as well. "Well, Jim, we'll be going there soon."
As the two boys gazed up at the endless illuminated space, they were both brought to the attention of books slamming on the table.
"Just what you asked for, Gerry," Vivian said, leafing through the top book. "Three volumes on astronomy written by Hans Fischer, another on the lost planets in our galaxy, and two on botany."
Gerard shot up with a gleeful smile. He ran to Vivian, picked her up, and swung her around.
"Oh, thank you so much, Viv, you're such a gem!" he cried as he set her back down.
"A gem?" Vivian giggled as she straightened out her glasses. "What interesting terminology."
Jim's face brightened at the sight of the two aliens chattering about literature, but again, he noticed Kate staring at the three of them. Jim rose from the chair, walked over to her table, and took a seat beside her. Kate kept her nose embedded in the astronomy book.
"Okay, what's your problem?" Jim demanded.
Kate's eyes snapped from her book. "I would ask the same of you, but I have studies to attend to." She reverted her awareness to the book.
Jim rolled his eyes. "Are you trying to make this harder?"
Kate continued to ignore him.
"Okay, seriously, why do you hate me so much?"
She didn't respond.
"Is it because you think you're better than me?"
Kate slammed her textbook down and swung around to face the other teenager.
"If it's a fight you want, then I'll give you a fight," she hissed.
Jim's eyes morphed into a glare. "Is that what you want?"
"I don't, but clearly you do!"
Both of the teenagers catapulted from their seats, each harshly glaring the other down.
"Why do you keep accusing me of this crap?" Jim asked.
"Why don't you follow exact protocol?" Kate returned.
"Why does that matter to you so much?"
"Jim? Kate?"
The blood-boiled students faced Vivian. The library assistant had her hands on her hips.
"This is a library and your impudent quarrel is not appreciated."
Kate pushed past her seat, neatly sliding it to the table. She picked up her textbooks before shooting a final glare at her classmate. She wordlessly strode to another section of the library, where she proceeded to sit and resume her work. Jim huffed out a breath through his nose.
"That's better," Vivian hummed. She neared Jim and cupped her hand over her mouth. "Could you please try to keep civil with her?"
"That's asking a lot," Jim grunted.
He stomped back to the table by Gerard, dragged the chair out, and sunk into it. He slouched a little as Vivian ambled back to the table as she once again lavished compliments on Gerard. As Gerard returned with memorized sugary poems, a sudden shadow flooded the room. Jim pushed the chair back as he stood up. Vivian glanced away from Gerard before her eyes expanded. She patted Gerard's chest, forcing him to look as well. His ears folded and he wrapped his arm around the small girl. Jim turned around to see that the other students were gawking at the glass dome. Jim raised his head. He felt everything inside of him sink.
A colossal galleon soared overhead. It registered as a large fleet vessel, untypical for the Academy, yet not impossible. But then the flag that proudly danced in the Ether claimed otherwise: a Jolly Roger.
Sirens blared overhead. A distorted voice shouted over speakers: "Students, report to the bunkers! This is not a drill! Students, report to the bunkers!"
The dozens of students left in the library scurried to the nearest exit. The instructors followed behind, anxiously ushering them out the doors. Gerard held onto Vivian and shoved Jim as he hurried past. The alien boy spun around.
"C'mon, Jim! Get moving!"
Jim bolted from the chair as he followed behind his peers. He was about to reach the door, before he noticed Kate rushing towards him. She slammed into him and they both crashed to the ground. Jim sat up, somewhat disoriented, but noticed Kate rising to her feet. Jim leapt up.
A crash radiated from the glass dome.
Glass shards rained down onto the hardwood floors as ropes with various rugged aliens slid down them.
Kate backhanded Jim's shoulder and gestured him to follow. He went behind her, sprinting nearly as fast as she did the pirates neared the ground.
The halls were empty and the lights had been cut, leaving Jim and Kate in near darkness. Jim looked back at Kate, who in return put her finger to her lips and motioned to another corridor. Jim replied with a nod. The scrambling footsteps behind them grew louder. The pair kept close to the walls, stepping as soundlessly as they could. Kate's ears perked up as the furious stampede drew closer.
"Where are the bunkers?" Jim whispered.
Kate pointed decidedly. The two slunk down the remainder of the corridor until they reached another wing. Jim's focus landed on one of the halls that he recalled led outside. He took Kate by the arm and started to drag her down that hall. A few feet down, Kate wrenched her arm from his hand.
"What are you doing?" she harshly murmured.
"I'm getting us out of here," Jim countered.
"They'll see us if we go down this way!"
"Maybe they won't. If everybody else could get out, so can we."
Kate looked back. She paused for a moment. She returned with a scowl and sighed. Jim held out his hand, which she hesitantly took.
The charge of the pirates drew closer.
The teenagers fled down the hall, not even bothering to stay silent at this point. Jim gripped Kate by the hand, despite her running at the same pace. They dashed down the remainder of the hall until they were met with a giant wooden door. Jim scampered to pull it open while Kate joined him. The door jolted open and clacked loudly. The clamor from down the hall prompted both of the students to burst out.
Outside. Exposed. The shouts of several pirates and the thunderous clanking from the galleon's machinery echoed throughout the campus. Several other ships, academy ships, surrounded the massive vessel. From the ground, hundreds of the military instructors shot their laser rifles at the incoming swarm of pirates. Jim swore he could hear Amelia's voice commanding from a distance.
Jim's head darted around until his eyes landed on the second nearest building. He took Kate by the arm. She tugged her arm free and ran alongside him.
Blood hammered through Jim's body. He kept glancing back as he saw the pirates messily filing out of the previous building. Kate grabbed him by the jacket and they dove behind the building. Kate peered over him. She pointed to the half open door. Jim nodded in response and followed behind as they entered the building.
Again, it was dark, but this time, Jim heard something creep past. Both cadets froze. The steps approached. They suddenly stopped and Jim could finally make out a familiar figure.
"Jim? Kate?"
Jim and Kate almost simultaneously let out their held breaths.
"Gerard, what're you doing here? Didn't you take Vivian to the bunkers?" Jim asked.
"I took her to the bunkers, but I ran back to get the both of you."
Kate cursed under her breath. "You should've followed protocol," she snapped quietly. "That aside, we need to keep going!"
The rugged voices of pirates drew nearer. The trio instantly fled down the hall again, this time not bothering to keep quiet. They threaded between the tens of hallways in the behemoth building until Kate shoved both of the boys into a classroom. She quietly closed the door.
"Get down, both of you!" she commanded.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jim harshly whispered.
"Just get down!"
Gerard sunk down onto the floor. Jim faced Kate as his muscles tightened and his face heated up.
"Kate, no! We're not staying here! They'll find us!"
"They won't," Kate snapped. "Now get down and shut up!"
Jim huffed out of his nostrils. "They saw us, they'll find us in here."
"Not until they pass through," she said.
"Both of you hush up and let's figure this out together." Gerard intervened.
"Think you're both so smart?"
Jim didn't want to turn around. He knew that voice. That voice complimented him over a month ago. That voice asked for the map. That voice was right behind him.
He heard someone grunt and watched as a massive alien hoisted Gerard up. Kate pushed past Jim to free him. A pair of arms wrapped around her and held her back. She struggled mercilessly.
A knife appeared at Jim's throat.
"I knew I'd be seeing you again," the girl hissed in his ear.
The girl's grasp was terribly strong. Jim could feel potential bruises already flourishing under his sleeves.
"Tie them up. Captain Alvar will want to see them!"
Something forced a bag over his head. He felt ropes pinch his skin and a hefty shoulder push into his gut. He flailed around in hopes that he would get the pirate to drop him. Without luck, he heard the whirring of the longboats. Gravity indicated that they were rising. Indecipherable chattering between dozens of husky voices suddenly went silent.
Jim was hurled onto the ground. A burly hand whipped the bag off of the boy's head. Jim instantly looked to his side, where both Gerard and Kate remained in a similar state, both bound by the hands and thrown on the floor.
Footsteps in heavy boots clacked against the wood.
Jim's head spun to the front again. A tall, sturdy human man with a long red coat and wild blond hair gradually approached the three students. He scrutinized them all, before his sharp brown eyes landed on Jim. He stared down the teenager. Jim repaid the man with an unforgiving glare. The man huffed out a single laugh.
"Looks like you're all going to be quite fun, aren't you?" he cooed.
Jim's glare intensified. The man stopped before him with a crooked smile that revealed a golden tooth.
"I think you're going to be the most fun and helpful," the man said.
He patted Jim's head while he turned around to face the rest of the crew.
"Tonight's a grand night, gents," he announced. "As your Captain, rum's on the house!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd. The Captain lowered his hands and ushered the pirates to settle down.
"This is only the first part of this victory," he continued. "But first thing's first throw these pests in the brig with the other one."
"Aye."
"My pleasure."
Jim was grabbed again, half carried and half dragged to the belly of the ship. He didn't falter in his attempts to get free, but the inhuman strength of the alien made it obvious he wouldn't be getting away. A smaller alien scurried to a large door with a barricade and lock. She pulled up the barricade and unlocked the door. Gerard was thrown in first, followed by Kate. Jim was the last to be tossed in and he landed hard on his side.
He sorely stood up, stumbling as he watched the door shut. He ran to the door and slammed into it. He struck himself against it a few more times before wearily dropping to the floor. His head flooded with unanswerable questions and incomprehensible feelings. He lowered his head as the message sunk in.
He felt something fiddling with the ropes strapped around his wrists. He stared back in horror, only to see Kate.
"H—how did you—"
"Oh, Hawkins is here too? Just, great!"
Jim cringed at the voice he knew too well. He rolled his eyes.
"Let me guess, Ryan Williams."
"Oh, now he's being a shit, great!" Ryan moaned.
Kate slapped the back of Jim's head. The teen looked back as he drew his throbbing, freed hand to the back of his head.
"Don't push your luck, Ryan." Kate growled.
Ryan held up his hands as his eyes expanded twice their size.
Jim stayed by the door, even after Kate walked away.
A/N Hey there guys, just wanted to let you know if you want to see any of the scenes from Galaxy of Glass illustrated or even made as a mini comic, feel free to pm me or send me an ask on my Tumblr (link on my profile). Hope you all enjoyed!