To the lovely guest who recently gave me a review...Thank you. Bless your heart. Your comment nearly brought me to tears.
Jim was gone again, as luck would have it.
One of Stickler's men was caught just the other day and I could only imagine what they were doing to him to get information. I grimaced as the thought of torture came to mind. If they were doing anything like they did in Hollywood movies, I'd almost feel sorry for the sucker. But I didn't care to find out.
For the time being I was with Sarah cleaning up the inn. Lunch was over and the last customer for the day was just leaving-or so I thought.
"Welcome!" Sarah's voice beamed with delight. Another customer meant more money.
I almost groaned as I heard her welcome them inside, but when I turned around I thought otherwise about making any noise. There standing about ten feet from me were Lucard and Maria. It had been three days since I last saw them.
"Take a seat right over here." Sarah led them to a clean table. She then walked up to me. "Briar, will you take their order? I'll take these dishes." She took the dishes resting in my hands and walked to the kitchen, door swinging behind her.
I grabbed my pen and pad as I was not used to the menu yet and had a hard time remember what was what. I set two menu's down in front of them. "Can I get you anything to drink?" I felt really awkward all of a sudden.
Lucard and Maria smiled at me.
"Oh, Briar! It's nice to see you." Lucard slid his menu closer to him. I was surprised he still remembered my name. "I'll have coffee." He opened his menu and scanned over what he might like to eat.
I jolted down his drink and looked to Maria. "And for you?"
Maria chuckled. "Oh, I'll just have some green tea."
"Great. A coffee and a green tea. I'll get that for you right away." I walked to the kitchen where I saw Sarah washing the remaining dishes. I quickly poured their drinks and brought it to them without spilling. "Have we decided what we want to eat?" I asked.
Lucard scanned the menu further. "Do you not have peach dumplings?"
I shook my head. "No, sorry." If we had something like that I would remember. I loved dumplings; so did my stomach and butt apparently.
"Well," said Lucard. "I must be thinking of something else then. Ah hah! I'll have the chicken pot pie." He slid his menu towards me.
"I'll have the same, too." Said Maria.
"Awesome! Two chicken pot pies. Coming right up, you guys." You guys? I thought. What the heck was I thinking? As I grabbed their menus I tried not to let the look of embarrassment cloud over my face.
Lucard laughed. "I may not know you very well, Briar, but you seem like a funny person."
Funny or stupid? Because you have no idea, kid. That's what I wanted to say to him, but I kept my mouth shut.
I walked back to the kitchen and helped Sarah make the two pies. Everyday I was learning something new, whether it was in the garden, cooking, cleaning, or just simply how to do my job better. Not to mention the multiple languages I heard in a day; none of which I was familiar with. Aside from English I knew a bit of Spanish and Italian, and I had yet to hear anyone speak those.
"Here," said Sarah sliding the two pot pies on the counter. "Take these out and I'll finish cleaning the last of the dishes. When our customers finish eating be sure to clean those plates, too. I'll be heading upstairs soon to enjoy the rest of my day."
I nodded and took the pot pies. Lucard and Maria seemed to have been having an interesting conversation as I walked out and stopped as soon as they saw me. "Enjoy." I set their food down in front of them. "Can I get you more to drink?"
They both shook their heads.
I nodded, feeling like I did a good job. "Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes if you need anything." I turned my heel but Lucard called for me to stop, so I turned back around. "Yes?" Maybe he changed his mind?
"Will you join us?" He asked.
I was taken aback by his offer, but I didn't want to be rude so I pulled up a chair.
Maria took a bite of her pie. "This is really good!"
I smiled, happy to hear such a nice complement seeing as I was the one to make her pie. "Thank you."
"Are you the Inn Keepers daughter?" Maria asked.
I raised both my brows, surprised and slightly amused. Lucard on the other hand nearly choked on his food. "No, I'm not." I looked to Lucard. "Are you going to be okay?"
Lucard took a drink of his coffee. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
Maria took another bite and swallowed before asking another question. "Do you live here at the inn then? Since you work here I figured..." Her voiced trailed off. I assumed she didn't want to say anymore in fear of asking another question that would result in Lucard choking to death.
"Yeah, I do. I haven't for very long, though. You see, I'm new here, just like you guys." I told them.
"Do you like it so far?" Lucard asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, I do. Do you?"
Lucard and Maria both nodded.
To change the topic Lucard said, "I heard the food here is really good. I'm not disappointed."
I smiled. "Good,"
"It's a shame we won't be able to come back for a while after today." Maria said.
"Why is that?" I asked.
Maria was nearly done with her food when she started to explain herself. "The academy starts in three days. That's clear on the other side of Montressor. I fear Lucard and I won't have much free time to do much of anything, let alone take the time to come all the way out here." She seemed really disapointed and so did Lucard. I didn't think the food was that good.
Of course, I knew that wasn't the problem and that there was something else bothering them. "I heard once you graduate you are chosen by one of the captains and taken on a six month long voyage. That sounds fun!" I tried to lighten the mood, although, I wasn't all too happy myself seeing as Jim would be gone, too.
Lucard suddenly beamed with delight. "You should sign up!"
I made a face at him. "What?"
"Anyone can join. I don't think it matters how old you are, as long as you have what it takes!" This kid was totally serious about me signing up.
I looked to Maria for some answers.
She just smiled nervously at me. "Its true." She told me.
I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment before looking at Lucard. "Look," I said. "I'm not exactly pirate fighting material. And even if I was I have no idea how to sign up or where to go for that sort of thing."
Lucard laughed, as if what I was saying was somewhat amusing and the answer was a no-brainer. "You can talk to Captain Amelia."
Amelia, I thought. I met her my first day here, along with her kids and husband. "Right. I don't know where she lives."
Lucard started naming off streets and what buses and trolley's to take and I held my hands up to make him stop. I wasn't really familiar with most of Montessor yet. He apologized. "I'm just excited is all." He told me. "You can ask Sarah how to get there, or she can take you there."
The next two days the inn would be closed so going to see Amelia was possible. "Wait," I said. "How do you know Sarah's name?"
Lucard's face flushed a light pink. "Uh, you said it earlier."
I thought for a moment. "No, I didn't."
Lucard nodded. "Yeah, I remember you said her name."
I was certain I didn't. "Right," I said slowly.
"Anyway," said Maria standing now. "I think you should give it a try, Briar. But only if that is something you really want to do." She looked to Lucard. "We should get going, don't you think?"
Lucard took his last bite and chewed it quickly and then stood up to brush the crumbs off his pants. "Thanks for the pie, Briar. And like Maria said, you should give it a try."
I watched the two walked out and I was left clean up the mess.
The next day I spoke with Sarah about joining the academy. To my surprise she said it was a good idea and that it would be good for me. She still had no idea about my situation and perhaps that was for the best.
We were coming up on Captain Amelia and Dilbert's home as I was lost in thought about my dad. I wondered if he was okay, and if he had already passed on from this life I hoped it was a painless death and that he managed to find peace after my disappearance.
As I looked up at the mansion all previous thoughts left my mind. I was in awe as Sarah stopped the carriage. "Let's not dilly dally." Said Sarah as she got off. I soon followed after and stood behind her as she knocked on the large door.
One of the children, Elizabeth, opened the door. She gave us a bright smile. "Sarah!" She held the door open for us.
"Where is your mother, dear. I need to speak with her."
"You're in luck! Mother is in her office. She's getting things ready to leave for the academy tomorrow." She led us up a flight of stairs and down three different hallways before stopping in front of an oak door. She knocked loudly three times.
"Come in!" I heard a British voice.
Elizabeth opened the door and stood to the side to let us in. "Have fun!" She giggled and closed the door behind us, leaving us with her mother.
Amelia looked up from the stack of papers on her desk. "Oh! Mrs. Hawkins. I wasn't expecting to see you here. What do I for you?" She offered us a seat. She looked at me. "Briar Edwards, correct?" I nodded. "Ah, I've heard a bit about you from Jim since last we saw each other."
I felt my face get warm. Jim talked about me? I was really happy to hear that. "Yeah, that's me." I gave her a lazy wave and laughed nervously.
Amelia rested her arms on the desk and clasped her hands. "I'm guessing you are the one with the questions and not Sarah?"
I nodded. "Yes, mam."
Amelia gave me a small smile. "Ask away. I have some time."
"I want to join the Space Academy." There was no sense in beating around the bush, so I got straight to the point.
Amelia looked to Sarah and then back at me. "You are sure?"
"Yes,"
Amelia sat in her chair a little straighter now. "Why?"
Crap. I didn't I would get this far so I never came up with an answer. I tried to think as quickly as possible. "I think its something I would really like."
Amelia chuckled softly. "My dear Miss Edwards, joining the Space Academy is not something to be seen as having fun."
"I didn'y say that...er...I didn't mean that."
"Then what did you mean?" her eyes narrowed a bit.
"Before Jim found me I was on a ship with pirates, although, they seemed like a decent bunch to me." I coughed and cleared my throat. "However, before that I ran into Stickler. He almost killed me. I want to join the academy so I can put bad pirates to justice." I nearly surprised myself. I didn't think I had that in me.
Amelia scoffed. "As if there are good pirates out there..."
I looked to Sarah for some help but she gave me a look, telling me I had to do this on my own.
"There is more to the academy than just hunting down pirates and killing them. You protect people not only space but on planets as well. You must work hard every day. A day off is never certain, as you can see how busy Jim has been. There is a lot of responsibility." There was a small pause. "If you are serious about joining up, convince me otherwise."
I looked down at my hands resting on my lap. They were shaking slightly out of nervousness, and they were sweating. I knew there was a chance that I would never make it back home, that I would never see my dad, So I had to have more of a reason to join than just for the sake of being closer to Jim. I looked up at Amelia and said, "The truth is: I don't have a home to go back to. And eve though I enjoy helping Mrs. Hawkins at the inn, Id like to do more, and not just for myself but for her too. I'd like to pay her back for taking me in. That goes for anyone who has shown me kindness since being here." I thought about Silver and wondered if he was still alive. "And besides all that, doing this will give me a purpose in life. I want to make something out of myself." I took a breath, finished with explaining myself and hoping Amelia would understand.
Just as Amelia was about to answer me a voice came out of what looked like microphone in the wall. "Amelia dear." It was Dilbert. "Have you seen my pen?"
Amelia sighed and turned her head in the direction of the microphone. "You mean the one with the laser? Yes, it's sitting on my desk. Why?"
There was a small pause. "C-could you bring it down to me?"
"Can you get you it yourself? I'm rather busy at the moment."
Another small pause. "I'm slightly incapable as of right now...please, Amelia?"
Amelia and sighed, smiling. "Of course, dear. Wait one moment." She stood up, grabbing the pen. "Feel like going for a walk?" She asked us.
We followed Amelia down the hall and spiral staircase before reaching a door. When she opened it for us we were met by a large circular room. The wallpaper was red and gold and the sun shined in through the giant windows. Tables were cluttered, maps and paintings of relatives hung on the wall, and high above, close to the ceiling was balcony with a giant telescope. I was in love with this room.
"Dilbert, what on this grey and blue planet are you doing now?" She set the pen down on one of his tables.
Dilbert's feet were sticking out from under a large oval shaped device. He wiggled his way out from under it and jumped up to greet us, greasy stained face and all. "Ah! We have visitors!" He welcomed Sarah and me. "Why don't you two come out as well."
Dilbert's son came out next and he too was dirty, but he didn't seemed bothered by in the slightest. Amelia, however, did not look pleased. And then, the last to show his face, was Jim. Surprised by his sudden appearance I found myself running my hands through my hair to make sure it looked nice.
"Oh, hi mom, Briar. Why are you two here?"
"They came to see me." Said Amelia.
"Well now," said Dilbert. "What seems to be the occasion?"
Amelia glanced at me and then looked to her husband and then at Jim. "Briar would like to join the Space Academy, which I have said yes to to her joining."
I beamed at her, utterly shocked. "Really?!"
Sarah held back a chuckle.
Amelia smiled at me. "Yes. Now I know there is paper work to be done before this happens, but this is something I have agreed to and something tells me that she has the skills for this."
I was so happy! I had a real chance to prove myself worthy and grow closer to Jim.
Jim walked up to me and patted me on the shoulder. "Congrats, Brair! I'm looking forward to seeing you there."
I felt my knees getting weak as I was slowly slipping into LaLa Land. Jim was looking forward to it! I tried not to blush too much but it was hard with all the sudden excitement and Jim's words. "Me too." I told him.
